Writer: Paul Murphy
Director: Rupert Hands
Dirty Hearts is an irresistibly sparkling new comedy by writer Paul Murphy. What could be conventional – an examination of the relationship between two 30-something couples – is rendered fresh, vivid and hilarious by excellent characterisation, sharp dialogue and a brilliantly structured plot which layers one thrilling revelation on another. It’s all supported by superb acting. and the crisp direction by Rupert Hands.
It’s riveting from the outset. No sooner have Ben and Laura announced to old friends Simon and Julienne that they’ve got back together, than Julienne (a wonderfully spiky Allegra Marland) has an astonishing outburst. Her vehement objection to their decision creates an intriguing set-up. She and Simon seem an ideal couple. She is an established art historian, currently assessing whether a Renaissance painting is a genuine masterpiece. John MacCormick gives Simon the appealing decency of a man devoted to both to her and to his work in international development. Why, therefore, does she react so strongly?
The artfulness of the structure is central to the underlying story thus set in motion. The series of short, punchy scenes are not chronological, but the time shifts are clearly signalled by back-projected dates. We find ourselves eagerly grasping at evidence. We witness the messy breakup of neurosurgeon Laura and financier Ben. Something as trivial as a lost kettle is made hilarious by normally chilled Laura’s over-reaction. But later, when an abjectly drunk Ben (a tremendous Pierro Niel-Mee) tries to effect a reunion with her, Laura offers a forensic analysis of exactly how his mood will have changed with each additional drink taken, before firmly expelling him. It’s a fantastic performance by Isabel Della-Porta. Later we see the scene in which they meet at one of Julienne’s private views. The fault lines of both relationships become increasingly clear as we already know much more about the other couple.
The dialogue is dazzlingly funny, one sharp one-liner after another. When Ben and Laura assure Julienne of the seriousness about starting again with ‘We’re positive’, Julienne snaps back ‘Like an STD?’. Stress, she snarls later, ‘is just a made-up word to sell wellness to wankers’. Ben’s superficiality is exposed when Simon patiently explains the contradiction between his work and Ben’s, Ben is clearly uninterested, absorbed in retying his shoe laces, before announcing triumphantly that he’s considering buying a Tesla.
But Dirty Hearts also explores deep issues. The characters’ constant attempts to analyse each other’s relationships is mirrored in Julienne’s analysis of works of art. The idea of a palimpsest works as a unifying leitmotif, as layers of their past are stripped away. Laura, as a neurosurgeon, calls into question the nature of altruism. Does Ben enjoy his work in developing countries because it gives him regular hits of dopamine? And is that why he’s attracted to women who are ‘beautifully packaged damage’?
Designer Sophia Pardon’s beautifully clean silver and stone set suggests the mid-2020s setting of the play. It is complemented by Hector Murray’s gorgeous lighting design. Sound designer Jamie Lu uses James Blake’s plangent songs to give a melancholic undertow to the surface comedy.
This could be the new Constellations, a must-see worthy of West-End transfer
Runs until 30 April 2022
