Writer: Robert Monaghan
Director: Erin Elsmore
Dan doesn’t want to go to the football match on Saturday, but his girlfriend Alice and her friend Brandon are persistent. Alice gives Dan no choice but to go, and Brandon has bought the ticket already. Their approach, which borders on bullying, doesn’t seem the best way to help a man dealing with the sudden loss of his father.
But Alice knows best. She gets Brandon to go round to their flat to talk to Dan and to encourage him to open up about his grief. Apparently, he hasn’t been outside for a month or so. It’s clear that Dan doesn’t want Brandon there, but Brandon refuses to leave.
It’s great that Alice and Brandon want to help Dan, but surely giving him the space to grieve would be a better option. The tone of Robert Monaghan’s play, which quickly returns to the Etcetera after a run at Camden Fringe, suggests that the audience should be on Alice’s side. This, however, leaves little room for nuance, especially with the easy and saccharine resolution. If only mourning were so simple.
Fortunately, the acting of the trio goes some way to papering over the cracks, especially that of Owen Walsh, who plays a blinder as cheeky-chappie Brandon, also processing his own grief. Alfie Thompson Brown gives Dan a fey and melodramatic side when he’s with his girlfriend and a moody, disgruntled side when alone with Brandon. We are told that Dan is grieving, but sometimes, like real life, it’s hard to see.
As Alice, Lucy Eddington has to tread a fine line between just telling Dan what to do and looking out for his mental health. At the moment, the character of Alice appears to be engaging more in the former. Of course, with the play only focusing on the ‘last days’ of Dan’s mourning, the audience is not witness to any behaviour which has caused Alice to worry so much.
Erin Elsmore’s direction is neat and inventive without being flashy. Scenes merge into each other quite nicely and ensure that the action continues seamlessly. The title of the play remains ambiguous, and while the characters occasionally play chess, it’s not clear who checkmates who.
Reviewed on 2 September 2025
