Review by Lauren Donikian
Friendship, love, and beauty are all subjects questioned in ‘Reasons to be pretty’. Written by Neil Labute this play explores the relationships of friends and work colleagues Steph and Greg who are dating and Carly and Kent who are married. After an argument, the relationship between Steph and Greg breaks down and what follows in the one hour and 45-minute performance are the moments that happen after.
Presented by The Space Between Theatre Company, ‘Reasons to be pretty’ at Flow Studios is stripped back and allows it’s cast to inhabit their characters in a real and raw way. The set is simple, and the team have taken advantage of the layout at Flow Studios by using both levels. The audience sits downstairs where there is a rug with a bench on the far right and on the left a vertical white block is against the back wall with stools either side. There are wooden stairs either side of the performance space that lead to a balcony upstairs where there is a couch placed in the middle. The lighting is simple just white lights and a black out at the end. There is clever use of props to signify change of location, scene and time and the costuming helps with this also. With Greg and Kent wearing hi-vis vests when they are at work and putting on baseball shirts when they are about to play a game.
Kieren Gregory, plays Greg and his character has the biggest arc in this play. He starts off unsure, but by the end of the play really finds his purpose and that is reflected nicely by Gregory. He is a quiet and defiant character that does fight for what is right... eventually. Izabella Louk plays Steph and is believable in the role of Greg’s girlfriend/ ex-girlfriend. Her scenes tend to be some of the most vulnerable and these are handled beautifully and earnestly by Louk. Emily Crow who plays Carly is confident and matter of fact. Her no nonsense attitude makes Carly a very interesting character in this play. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the moments between Gregory and Crow. Whilst they star as two characters that don’t like each other there is a warmth and comfort that the two share on stage that make their scenes very easy to watch. I believed in their chemistry more than with their significant others, but I think that is also the beauty of this play. Mark Barry plays the unlikeable Kent and really plays both sides well. One being the loyal partner, the other a not so loyal partner. He runs a gamut of emotions over the course of the play and really leans into the awful side of his character. It inhabits his whole body.
Director and Producer Jesse Donaldson-Jarrett made some very interesting choices, using the vastness of the bottom floor to explore the distance between Greg and Steph and comparing that to the closeness of Carly and Kent. Choosing to use the balcony and identify the locations that were played out in the world and showing the fight scene. I think whilst shocking, it needed to happen. There is a lot of tension, and a lot of things that go unsaid in this play so to see two characters being physical in that way instead of just talking about it was rewarding. One thing I would add is probably some music in between each scene, just because you lose some energy when the actors are walking the length of the space and up the stairs, but overall, it was a great performance. If you like plays that centre on relationships and the ups and downs of love, then this is the play for you.
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