By ‘Odidi Matai-Sigudla
“Have you ever felt the inside of a tap?” – who knew one expression could leave such a lasting impression on an audience.
Although 2Lovers feels similar to many romance stories, Naledi Award-winner, Craig Morris, and his production team do an excellent job at crafting new angles through the characters of Annabel (Tessa Jubber) and Dave (Ter Hollmann).
The show begins with a recently divorced Annabel bumping into Dave, the ex-husband. This is the first time they have seen each other in three years – if you exclude the time Annabel caught Dave stalking her. From here, the plot thickens. We slowly backtrack through the years, and see where their relationship began, how it blossomed and drew to a close. As we travel back in time, the tensions from the opening act lessen.
2Lovers demonstrates how unresolved conflicts fester and have the power to slowly kill a relationship. The play does well to incorporate lighting and sound well to reflect the setting.
In a particularly powerful scene, Annabel comes to collect her things from the apartment. After relentlessly knocking, she ultimately slides down the imaginary door in defeat. The stage grows quiet as they sit back to back, and she begins to speak about her regrets and frustrations that ultimately contributed to the end of their relationship. As she speaks, Dave silently listens on the other side of the door. It is a striking moment that allows both performers to dig into the heart of the performance.
There is a reason why romance is one of the best-selling book genres. We like to see ourselves in others – most of the time – and through watching a piece about love (and its pitfalls), we somehow start to make sense of it. If you feel like switching it up from Norah Ephron, Jodie Picoult, or Colleen Hoover – then this may be the next show on your Fest list.
2Lovers is on at Glennie Hall until 2 July.
