A couple bond and fight over objects which highlight the state of their marriage. A funeral urn is the catalyst for some tough talking and exploration of where they really are in their relationship.
This blackly comic play by Jenny Stafford is set in one room, and is performed by Ben and Caitlin Hilzer. This couple are fuelled by their own obsessions: he collects objects of questionable value once owned by others, she is nose-deep in fashion and gossip glossies.
At just fifteen minutes there is a lot to unpick, and it feels at times as if this could be a first act of a longer show, but Stafford shows as much as she can in the limited time. We can sense how this couple got together, and how they will turn out.
Alive feels a very sensitive exploration of close companionship despite clear differences, and the discussion around “letting go” were starkly presented, slickly directed by Penny Cole.
Rounding up with a scene of familial affection between the two, and a sense of playful reconciliation, Alive presents a marriage in all its shades of good and bad, and theatre company Flying Solo! have produced an intriguing piece of work I look forward to seeing again later in its journey.
Alive is streaming now at Online@TheSpace as part of their second season of fifty shows available to watch for free. For more information go here.
Flying Solo are presenting three shows at Online@TheSpace’s second season. Best Laid Plans is a collaboration with the Rock, Salt and Nails Band from Ohio; Readymade Cabaret 2.0 with This Is Not A Theatre Conpany.