REVIEW: these words that'll linger like ghosts till the day i drop down dead at Pleasance London 13 – 24 June 2023

‘lyrical and innovative script’ ★★★

A deeply lyrical and innovative script from Georgie Bailey, produced by multi award-winning Chewboy Productions.  It is a play within a play which explores losing a loved one, rejection, depression and suicide. It moves between the real world and the world of the play in short scenes which feel discombobulating, which I rather like.  It reminds me of the work of Harold Pinter, but Pinteresque it ain’t.

The script also uses the analogy of drifting in space to reinforce the feelings associated with loss (of a loved one or indeed of oneself).   The director Lucy Betts has chosen to present the show in a naturalistic style with two fine actor Tessa Wong playing A/Sam, and Daniel Crespin playing B/Charlie. But, and it is a big BUT, although there are many fine moments throughout, my personal feelings are that the boundaries need to be pushed much further and that a non-naturalistic approach might benefit the play. 

The play feels elegiac, a poem to the melancholic. For me it misses much of the humour, and the obvious depression (of one of Crespin’s characters) is shown too early in the play giving it nowhere to go. I struggled to understand the relationship between the two characters, because they seemed to be brother and sister, but not of the same family. No doubt this is my misinterpretation and others will consider it part of the mystery of the play. I also felt that there were umpteen missed opportunities for Tessa Wong’s characters to give some push back. There is potential for this within the script, but she continued to be supportive. This meant that opportunities for conflict between the pair were missed. 

Finally, the whole show seemed largely on one level, with tempo and temperament at one pace, with perhaps just one peak (more of pimple) in the whole hour. The wonderful set by Hal Darling suits the style of the play very well (although I would have liked this to be more a part of the landscape rather than in a straight line upstage). There is so much potential here, as it is a script which can be played in so many different ways. In its current form, it’s not for me, but I hope to see it again one day and be totally wowed by it.

Chewboy Productions Present:

these words that'll linger like ghosts till the day i drop down dead

Pleasance London

Downstairs

13th Jun - 24th Jun

Box Office https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/these-words-thatll-linger-ghosts-till-day-i-drop-down-dead

Performers: Tessa Wong, Daniel Crespin & Emmanuel Olusanya

Writer: Georgie Bailey

Director: Lucy Betts

Designer: Hal Darling

Reviewed by Heather Jeffery