Actor turned playwright Luke Norris and director Jeremy Herrin bring the new play Guess How Much I Love You? to the stage of the Royal Court. It’s a two-hander about the choices and love that sometimes arise during pregnancy, as Her and Him grapple with the issues that follow their 20-week scan.
It’s a quick play, just 95 minutes, that expertly switches from compassion to comedy, without being mawkish, sentimental, or graphic. Guess How Much I Love You? is a subtle drama about a couple who must deal with the unthinkable, and across six scenes (punctuated by brief periods of blackout to allow for high-speed set changes), we watch them experience every emotion imaginable.
Robert Aramayo and Rosie Sheehy are a couple, awaiting the news of their first child. They are young, excitable, in love, and settled. It will take all their strength to deal with the curveball nature has thrown at them. Religion, ambition, and concern inform both the decisions they make and what happens afterwards.
The sets, designed by Grace Smart, allow us to explore the couple’s home as well as the hospital and outside locations. The chatty, caring midwife (Lena Kaur) in one pivotal scene is well drawn without taking the focus from Her and Him. Sheehy is outstanding as the mother who internalises a world of pain; Aramayo is a convincing and heartbreaking father who grapples with expectations.
Guess How Much I Love You? tackles a difficult topic without leaving the audience downbeat. Some moments may bring a tear, but in the next scene, you will be amused at the plight of hares, or the mechanics of choosing baby names. Her and Him feel real in every moment, with the script offering a tight framework for their story.
There wasn’t a moment when I didn’t feel engaged in this story. Sad sometimes, perhaps even angry, certainly surprised. The playtext details numerous pauses in dialogue, but these are over in a heartbeat and as effective as placing an ear to someone’s chest and hearing their breath of life.
Norris is a gifted writer who understands how words can shape a story and take the audience on a journey. There was no fidgeting, clock-watching, or drink slurping from the audience last night. Everyone was rooting for this story to have a closure that didn’t break your heart.
This is a beautiful play that acknowledges the human cost and resilience in tragedy. It will stay with me a long time, and raises questions about ‘what would you do’ in similar circumstances. If the rest of the Royal Court’s 70th birthday season is of this quality, we are in for quite a year.
*****
Guess How Much I Love You? continues at the Royal Court until 21 Feb 2026, with tickets here.
Photo credit: Johan Persson