Writer: Jess Edwards
Director: Annie Kershaw
Starring Patricia Allison and Stefanie Martini, Private View charts the whirlwind romance between two women. Those familiar with the intense chemistry often joked about in queer female dating will recognise the pattern.
These two have a chance encounter followed by a serendipitous second meeting, which Martini’s character frames as fate and which Allison’s PhD physicist attempts to deny. Inevitably, they fall for each other hard and fast. Jess Edwards’ sharp dialogue captures the breadth of their inner lives, probing every corner of their histories and desires. From the outset, there’s a sense that despite their constant assurances that they are ‘the same person’, they are speaking through each other rather than to each other. One of the play’s most compelling threads is the way Allison’s character relates her research into particles and waves to the push and pull between two connected beings.
As doubts seep in, phrases such as ‘I feel like I’m the negative image of you’ signal the deepening tangle of desire, insecurity and misrecognition. Allison and Martini deliver performances brimming with naturalism, deftly revealing each character’s flaws as they try and fail to conceal them. Their increasingly revealed imperfections are both believable and infuriating.
Georgia Wilmot’s simple yet effective design pairs beautifully with Catja Hamilton’s lighting, with window-like LED panels at the back intensifying the emotional peaks. Josh Anio Grigg’s sound design adds tension and texture, framing the couple’s most intimate moments and propelling the drama forward.
Annie Kershaw’s breakneck speed direction mirrors the abrupt shift from infatuation to seriousness, driving the play with rattling momentum. At times, this pace comes at the expense of allowing key emotional consequences to settle, yet Kershaw excels in crafting impactful transitions that bleed seamlessly from one charged moment into the next.
Private View doesn’t fully land its thematic focus, but as one character insists, ‘Everything is intention.’ That sentiment applies not only to the relationship we witness unravel but also to the thoughtful craft behind the production. The result is a gripping, sharply observed drama about a relationship unlike any other.
Runs until 20 December 2025
