And If The Surface Tension Breaks – Lion & Unicorn Theatre, Kentish Town

Writer / Director: David Brady

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

“Thought-Provoking“

4 / 5

Charlie has never really had a great birthday, but considering this year the world is ending – typically with the final moments on his actual birthday, it definitely goes down in history as the worst one ever.

When you think of the world being destroyed, it’s normally on a larger scale – with millions of people being affected all over the globe. But in ‘And if the Surface Tension Breaks’, the focus is solely on Charlie (Conor Rowlett), looking back into his past, the people he’s interacted with and the opportunities he’s missed, as one final hurrah to earth before it all comes to an end. Ironically, he’s always been afraid of the world ending, but now it’s here and there isn’t much he can do about it.

He’s guided through his past by three advisors – Kilo (Ben Watts), India (Kitty Evans) and Tango (Emily O’Mahony), each of which help him come to terms with some of his prior decisions, face heartache head on that he’d previously tried to avoid thinking about, and finally find peace with the world coming to an end. It’s an interesting concept, and although there are elements of science fiction and fantasy that are very well done, the real pull of the show is actually in the poignancy of Charlie’s life and the positive hope that comes out of it, encouraging people to live without fear and make the most of the short lives they’ve been given.  

Rowlett is fantastic at portraying the vulnerability and emotions of Charlie, occasionally reverting to his childlike innocent and excitement, in some really endearing flashback style scenes. His guides are purposefully quite robotic for the most part, to convey the futuristic elements of the show, but occasionally break through with more human-like qualities such as empathy and encouragement – with Watts in particular fabulously adding a humorous and engaging spin to his character.

The way Brady has structured the show, is brilliantly thought-provoking, and the cyclical call-backs in various scenes are clever inclusions to piece together each of the concepts into one bigger picture. The train station scene is a great way to visualise the places and people that have meant something to him in life, while the numbers assigned to each of the faces he’s interacted with is very creatively done. This, alongside the projected visuals and excellent soundscape makes this an enjoyable show that will have you considering many of the aspects within it long after you leave the theatre.

Runs until 1^st March 2025