Review: IF. DESTROYED. STILL. TRUE. by Jack Condon at the Hope Theatre 26 April – 14 May 2022

'Beautifully rendered in every aspect, this story addresses a difficult topic with dignity and grace.'  ★★★★ ½

How does someone make the choice to leave the life where they grew up? The life they used to lead?

Two friends with two different outcomes. One leaves and gains it all: education, love, family. The other remains and loses everything.

In If. Destroyed. Still. True. issues of class and opportunity are brought to rub against personal identity and resilience. It also asks how tied to a place we can feel even when we no longer truly are.

James (THEO ANCIENT), the one who got away, the one who got everything, comes back to see his best friend, John (JACK CONDON), who is faltering under the loss of his father, his job, his love life. As James’ girlfriend, Charlotte (WHITNEY KEHINDE), tries to connect, each sentence between them brings greater disconnect. These strangers collide and discover what different lands they come from.

Solidly directed (by SARAH STACEY), each character’s relationship with each other was visceral, made clear through vivid language and subtle facial expression. The dialogue is humourous and lyrical at the same time, finely balanced. Though the story takes place over 8 years, it possesses an authentic continuity.

This production brings together all aspects of theatre so beautifully that it sings. The meandering bulbs above are powerfully used for sudden scene changes and forge a real sense of electric charge. The sound mix is impressive: seascape and voices of people from the past. The staging realistically evokes the quiet pier of a slowly receding sea town.

Beautifully rendered in every aspect, this story addresses a difficult topic with dignity and grace. The ending leaves the viewer with a subtle glimmer of hope even if everything is not neatly tied up. Very much like real life.

Read our interview with writer/actor Jack Condon here

 IF. DESTROYED. STILL. TRUE. by Jack Condon

The Hope Theatre, Islington 26 April – 14 May 2022

Box Office: https://www.thehopetheatre.com/productions/if-destroyed-still-true/

Written by Jack Condon

Performed by Theo Ancient, Jack Condon, Whitney Kehinde

Directed by Sarah Stacey

Set and costume designer: Anna Kelsey

Lighting Designer: Gabriel Finn

Composer and Sound Designer: Joseff Harris

Producer: Rebecca Lyle

Assistant Director: Korren Howell

Stage Manager: AmyHales

Dramaturg: Nkechinyere Nwobani-Akanwo

Fight director: Bret Young

Reviewer:

Mariam Mathew is an alumna of Guardian critic Mark Fisher’s theatre criticism course and an aspiring playwright.