Aissa Martel’s new rom-com If By Starlight …, playing at this year’s Camden Fringe, is a two-hander about the rules and expectations of modern romance.
Janelle (Kat de Leiros) and Jacob (George Nettleton) are getting ready for date night. While fussing over what to wear, running over their list of what they want in a partner, and interacting with their unseen pets, they reveal who they are and what they hide.
It is a play with resonance for seasoned daters who feel a little awkward matching with someone on an app, and suggests the old ways of finding a mate may be the best after all.
As Janelle shares the memory of how her first school crush managed to leave her with a lasting image of disgust, and chatters to her lovebirds Westley and Buttercup (named for the lead characters in The Princess Bride), Jacob describes his fantasy woman who tastes of vodka martini and makes an effort with her clothes.
It’s a light and heartwarming piece that doesn’t push us into tense moments or unrealistic cliffhangers. It is simply a man and a woman who find themselves connected in a bar by the disappointment of looking for love. Both come across as a little exhausting to start with, but we are never really at our best when putting on a mask for a stranger.
If By Starlight … considers the coincidences that may come into place when finding ‘your person’, and allows both Jacob and Janelle to reflect on the process. They are somewhat jaded or hurt by their dating experiences of the past – but can they look beyond this and make one night work into something more concrete?
Martel, who both writes and directs the production, makes the small stage at Barons Court feel convincingly like both a home and a bar, with just a table and a couple of chairs. A few scenes are performed solo, and the eventual meeting of the two characters is endearingly awkward and amusing.
This is a solid piece of theatre that is well-put together and easy to like. 4 stars.
If The Starlight … has finished its run at Barons Court Theatre, but is on at the Museum of Comedy on 21 and 22 Aug as part of Camden Fringe.