Writer and Director: Nell Rayner
Despite the solid acting in Nell Rayner’s two-hander, there isn’t much at stake in this story of a male playwright and a female actor embarking on a relationship in present-day London. The couple’s first few dates are handled nicely; Emma is prickly and defensive while Simon is nervously upbeat. However, as their affair becomes more serious, the narrative becomes less engaging.
Writing plays that never get accepted, Simon works in a local pub. Waiting for auditions that never come, Emma works in a flower shop. They are frustrated with their ambitions, but initially find solace in each other, moving in together in a small flat. However, when Emma lands a job in a student film and when Simon’s play is taken on by the Royal Court, jealousy inches its way into their lives.
Money is also a problem. Neither of their jobs pays well, and Emma points out that Simon would be better off working in the pub as bar work pays more than the prestigious Royal Court. They dream of winning awards at the Oscars or at BAFTA, but these days, as they eat a diet of pasta, seem far away.
There’s little more to the play, but the acting by Matthew McGoldrick and Eve Wilson ensures that the story is never dull. McGoldrick’s Simon is a decent enough man, but his masculine jealousy, which forms the crux of drama, doesn’t feel entirely authentic, especially as he works in theatre, where people always pretend that they’re someone else. What else was he expecting when he hooked up with an actor?
Wilson has an easier narrative arc, and she delivers it with charm, her spiky approach slowly disappearing as she begins to relax with Simon in their early days of dating. It’s just a shame that the two actors haven’t got more to work with. Their characters’ stories are too slight.
With its multiple short scenes, spanning a few years, the structure of All Of Us Flawed But Still Something To Love feels a little too familiar, as if it’s influenced by Constellations. Nick Payne’s play, however, kept the audience guessing, but in Rayner’s play, there are few surprises.
Runs until 27 July 2024
The Bitesize Festival runs until 28 July 2024
The Reviews Hub Score
Jealous Guy
