Love is never easy. When one half of a couple stray the complications begin. Using a bouquet of red roses they were placed in the circle at the start by Susanna (Julie Thurston) which I thought represented a circle of love. Susannah and Joel (Chris Mohan) moved around within that circle as their relationship blossomed and grew. Both of them spoke openly about what love meant to them as a couple.
For a play about love. It was slightly confusing in the beginning. As Michelle ( Amy Leeson) stood to one side of the stage. As the play progresses you discover who she is, the other woman. Who Susanna has no idea about. Her monologue discuss how she feels as the other woman and what love with Joel meant to her.
I found the lack of emotional outbursts somewhat unusual considering the highly emotive situation that the three characters were in. However seeing emotions expressed in a rational understanding made for a refreshing change.
As the title suggests “Darling It’s not about you” describes exactly what the three-way relationship explores. That love and what it means is completely individual to each of the three characters. How you envisage love to be and how long you expect it to last. Along with your expectations from the person. All of these were explored with alot of details.
The dialogue that was taking place between each of the three characters in this play appeared in my opinion to being spoken as an internal monologue. Breaking through the third wall as the two ladies explained to the audience how they saw their relationships with Joel.
There was a candid and honest approach with strong matter of fact conversations taking place between the cast that you would not have necessarily expected where infidelity had taken. A very good debut play for director Bethany Fox.
Three Stars.
Theatre, Films and Art reviews 