REVIEW: THICK SKIN by Hard Reset at Lion and Unicorn Theatre 23 – 27 April 2024

“Cleverly combines monologue, physical theatre and painfully realistic dialogue between two people that just can’t seem to do ‘real talk’” ★★★ ½

‘If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry’. That certainly seems to be the motto for Liam (Conor Rawlett), a northern Irish aspiring stand-up comic who tends to use jokes as deflection. It’s a tried and tested method to keep things light and surface level rather than, god forbid…letting things get a bit too deep under the skin.  

He shares a flat and a part-time friendship with Billy (Ben Borthwick) an aspiring video game streamer. They bond conveniently over beer, jokes and Mario Kart, meanwhile saving the more brooding moments of self-reflection and authenticity for their respective avenues of limelight. Billy manages to speak candidly and openly to his online viewers whilst Liam favours his heart to hearts on stage rather than in conversation. These moments of transparency function as direct address to the audience, allowing us into the inner worlds of these two characters.

Liam serves as the protagonist of this tale and a likeable, all too familiar tragic figure. His heart, though wounded, is in the right place. If only he could quit his various vices - and maybe pay for therapy - he’d be alright. The reality they occupy however is one of rising costs of living in a city of spiralling rent - you’ve got that right, it’s London.

Cleverly combining monologue, physical theatre - which at times seems superfluous - and painfully realistic dialogue between two people that just can’t seem to do ‘real talk’, this play tells a story of masculinity, jealousy, heart break and a lacking friendship. It also tells the story of a modern, digital world. A story of fast-growing capitalism and young men struggling to find their feet.

Unfortunately, this play does not offer answers and nor does it provide a happy ending - that perhaps, is yet to be written by its audiences who certainly will come away with food for thought and maybe some conversations to have. It’s a big topic which has been tackled head on by a small and ambitious theatre company. Like every ‘big’ topic however there are elements that are destined to remain underexplored and underdeveloped within the constraints of time. Nonetheless, ‘Hard Reset’ are a company to watch and perhaps, to talk about. 

THICK SKIN by Lion and Unicorn Theatre 23 – 27 April 2024

Company: Hard Reset Theatre

Reviewed by Phoebe Moore