REVIEW: THIS LITTLE EARTH at Arcola Theatre 22 Oct – 15 Nov 2025

‘engaging and visually inventive’ ★★★

Written by Jessica Norman and directed by Imy Wyatt Corner, THIS LITTLE EARTH marks Norman’s debut full-length play - a work already longlisted for The Women’s Prize for Playwriting and shortlisted for the Originals Playwriting Award. Starring Fanta Barrie and Ross O’Donnellan, the piece explores loneliness, loss, and the strange comfort found in shared delusion.

At its core, THIS LITTLE EARTH is a love story - or perhaps more accurately, a story of need. Honey has just lost her sister; Christopher is estranged from his child. Both are untethered, seeking meaning in the world. When they find each other, it’s through grief’s gravitational pull. Together, they channel their pain into an unlikely quest: to prove the earth is flat and that an ice barrier in Antarctica marks the edge of the world.

The play’s structure alternates between their present - stranded and disoriented in the Antarctic - and a series of flashbacks that chart how they arrived there. This nonlinear approach adds intrigue, as key information is drip-fed to us in small doses. Imy Wyatt Corner’s direction keeps the pacing taut and the tone well-balanced between humour and pathos.

Visually, the production is striking in its simplicity. A sparse set of blue cloths hangs from the ceiling, evoking both ice sheets and computer screens, while a raised silver platform creates depth and dynamism. The aesthetic captures the cold, otherworldly beauty of their setting, as well as the digital echo chambers that fuel their obsession.

Performances are strong across the board. Ross O’Donnellan as Christopher brings charm and fragility to his role, grounding the play with humour and sincerity. Fanta Barrie as Honey is compelling, though more emotional weight is needed for the more devastating moments.

Where the production falters is in its final stretch. The end muddies rather than clarifies: are the characters dead, trapped in a hypothermic hallucination, or actually experiencing what's happening? The ambiguity is confusing rather thought-provoking. Similarly, the play gestures toward critique - of conspiracy culture, grief exploitation, and online radicalisation - and yet ends in a way that implies a conspiracy is at play, just not the one you were expecting.

Norman’s writing is often witty and perceptive, and whilst THIS LITTLE EARTH is engaging and visually inventive, it lacks the gravity its subject matter promises. The result is a production that’s absorbing, well performed, and atmospheric - but ultimately feels underdeveloped.

3 hearts canvas and Izzy Carney present

THIS LITTLE EARTH

By Jessica Norman

Cast: Fanta Barrie, Ross O’Donnellan

Director: Imy Wyatt Corner; Set and Costume Designer: Cat Fuller; Light and Projection Designer: Hugo Dodsworth; Sound Designer: Jamie Lu; Movement Director: Hamza Ali

22 October – 15 November

Press Night: Friday 24 October at 7:00pm

Box Office: https://www.arcolatheatre.com/event/thislittleearth/

Photo credit Johan Persson