This was a slick fast-paced production from Viscera Theatre, comprised of production and comedy writing duo, Roxy Dunn and Alys Metcalf, who caught our attention as runners-up in our 2017 Comedy Shorts Award with their film, Habits.
Having seen their work on film I was interested to see how they tackled theatre and I wasn’t disappointed. A complex and compelling plot is driven by two very accomplished performances with Roxy playing the ‘straight’ woman to Alys’s more comedic and hapless character. They are, of course, both very funny and get the balance right – this is a relatively complex storyline so there is no need for an excess of comedy to distract you away from the plot.
In brief, it’s a love story that explores the reality of eternity. The lovers, played by Roxy and Alys, are taken on a rollercoaster ride which transcends gender and age to reach a rather uplifting conclusion. The theatrical action is interspersed throughout with a series of hilarious interludes where they play themselves discussing and analysing the plot. This does a great job in diluting any pretensions and makes the whole production, along with some brave direction and stage management, highly accessible.
You Only Live Forever will inevitably get more stage time and no doubt a transfer to London and a tour is already in planning. This sort of talent deserves its rewards and it’s good to see that Roxy and Alys are already developing television projects with Hartswood Films and Merman.
I loved them on film, and now I love them on stage. I look forward to seeing more work from Viscera Theatre on a small screen very soon.
★★★★★
You Only Live Forever is at Assembly George Square – Studio 4 13:35 until 27th August. For tickets and more information click here.
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