Writer: Miriam Battye
Director: Katie Posner
It’s rare to see a straightforward love story on stage these days, and while Strategic Love Play isn’t such a story, it comes close. Two people, both jaded in their own ways, go on a date which ends up being much more complicated than it needs to be.
It’s Jenny’s fault that it’s complicated; she’s brash, frank and so determined that she won’t get hurt, she creates a personality that is unlovable. Adam seems a decent enough guy; he’s polite, and patient but also aware that he hurts people accidentally.
She begins the evening by suggesting that they bypass the normal formalities of a date and cut straight to the chase; not sex, but a relationship. She offers him her hand to hold; he declines the gesture. Perhaps Jenny’s self-destructive nature is down to nerves but Adam thinks that the date won’t go further than the one pint that they both brandish while coming on stage.
Jenny would be a repellent person if it wasn’t for the smiles that actor Letty Thomas gives her. Every insult and every home truth are tempered with a smile or a mock-heroic exasperated shrug. Thomas’ complex and contradictory performance ensures that Adam doesn’t just drink up and go home.
That’s not to say that he doesn’t attempt an early escape; it’s just that he’s too well-mannered to leave on bad terms and slowly Jenny’s behaviour has begun to intrigue him. Perhaps her way of doing things is worth listening to and Archie Backhouse is careful not to give Adam too much depth. Adam will go with the flow and seems prepared to accept Jenny’s crazy idea. After all, It’s a deal that is weighted in his favour.
Miriam Battye’s play, performed quite sensibly in the round, is mercurial in the way that Jenny’s actions become almost normal. It’s a credit to all involved that this shift is smooth, almost imperceptible. And when they plan for the future, it’s impossible not to get caught up in the joy of it with Rhys Jarman’s set spinning in agreement.
The only part that doesn’t quite work is the voice notes that Jenny and Adam send to their friends while the other is at the bar. This method of letting the audience know the character’s inner thoughts seems a little clumsy and who sends voice notes now anyway? And these short soliloquies tell us little more than Thomas and Backhouse can do via their acting.
At 70 minutes Strategic Love Play is perfectly paced and played out in real time. It may discourage people from ever dating again, but there is plenty to mull over when you wonder why Jenny’s deal is so one-sided.
Runs until 23 September 2023
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