Runaway – Rosemary Branch Theatre, Islington (Camden Fringe)

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

Writer: Zuzana Spacirova

Director: Oettie Devriese

“Humorous, Warm & Relatable”

4 / 5

Runaway is a semi-biographical story about finding a place that feels like home. Moving and living in London is stressful and fast-paced at the best of times, let alone when you’ve come from a small town abroad where you could sit and wait for hours for a bus to arrive. Her journey in finding places to live, meeting new people and trying to make friends that aren’t just objects she’s named (shoutout to Beatrice the self-checkout machine) is laid bare in this hour long show.

Writer and actor Zuzana Spacirova is an extremely engaging performer. Her anecdotes about moving to London are brilliantly observational, extracting humour from everyday situations such as the inevitable tube delays, impatience around big crowds and constant outbursts of rain. Her warm persona automatically envelopes the audience into her world like old friends meeting for a catch-up. Her colloquialisms and genuine, relatable dialogue are excellently received, whether she’s disappointed that she’s wound up living in Cockfosters or comforted that she seemingly speaks better English than her Birmingham accented boyfriend.

But in addition to the easy, light-hearted humour, Spacirova also allows her vulnerability to be explored. While she has set up a life here in London, there are things she misses from home, and frequently expresses her confusion about where she belongs “like mayonnaise in the fridge – not sure if I’m in the right place!” She also outlines the feelings of loneliness that can occur while living in a big city, the difficulty there is when trying to find like-minded people and the struggle to simultaneously settle down while also make huge changes to your life.

The show is very fast-paced, Spacirova energetically recounting memories and situations, from auditions to birthdays, old flatmates and new boyfriends, but although constantly flipping between stories and timeframes, it doesn’t ever become confusing. Spacirova allows the narrative to easily flow and develop naturally, as she begins to discover her own revelations about her life as she narrates through her characters decisions.

Whether you’ve also had the same feelings moving around or you’ve never left your home town, Spacirova’s honest, humorous approach helps to make you feel at home regardless of your situation.

Runs until 1^st August 2023 – then performing at Edinburgh Fringe from 4^th – 26^th August 2023