Love vs Hate
Tristan Bates Theatre
Reviewed on Monday 15th April 2013
'People don't commit suicide because they want to die; they do it to stop the pain'. A quote from the evening's entertainment that is as cheerful as you will feel when you leave the theatre. Love vs Hate is an exploration of familial relationships and the causes and effects of suicide told from two very different perspectives. The first half of the evening is a play by Chantelle Dusette entitled Wounds, which deals with the theme of Hate. After the interval is the second play To The End of Love by Edwin Preece, dealing with Love.
The female offering, directed by Zoe Ford, Wounds, is revealing drama about the complex relationships between a mother, her two daughters, her granddaughter and two other significant women, told through a series of flashbacks. Every character has a reason to hate and we learn that it is this self-absorbing emotion that is ultimately the direct cause of the play's dramatic finale. Despite its theme, the play ends on a hopeful note: due to the events of the play, we are left feeling that somehow the hate that festers between the characters will be reconciled.
The male team, directed by Sean Turner, explores the various loves felt for a girl after she has died, through the prism of therapy interviews. Young love, lustful love, true love, fatherly and brotherly love are all encountered, however with the backdrop of death hanging heavily over the production (a portrait of the dead girl sits on an easel at the back of the stage throughout), this play is far less life-affirming than the theme may suggest and I was left in tears as the brother, played by Niall Phillips, emotionally recounts the girl's final moments.
The actors all take good command of these thought-provoking new writings. Other than the very affecting performance given by producer Niall Phillips, Darcy Vanhinsbergh shows an impressive emotional fragility that is as powerful as his physical strength. Ellie Dickins strikes a well-balanced performance of a woman on the verge of Alzheimer's who is continually confronted by a world that she does not understand.
The set of To The End of Love is simple yet flexible: two church pews that efficiently transform the space with each scene change. In Wounds, lighting is used to great effect to denote flashbacks, although I would question the purpose of the 'light choreography' at the start of the play.
On reflection, I enjoyed the theme of the evening's showings, although I do wish Love had come before the more positive Hate. Both plays are written with well-formed characters whose dialogue flows to naturally deliver the peaks, troughs and humour contained within. They deal with relevant and interesting subjects that are simultaneously universal in their appeal and specific in their content. An evening of two plays about two contrasting emotions by groups of different genders: a nice idea from Lonesome Schoolboy Production which is worth a visit but be prepared to cry.
Reviewed by Ted McMillan
Love vs Hate runs at the Tristan Bates Theatre until Saturday 20th April 2013.
Please visit www.tristanbatestheatre.co.uk for further information and to book tickets.
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