Val-POOR-Giss-Nakht – Camden Peoples Theatre, Euston

Writer: Lyndsey Ruiz
Director: Andrew Darren Elkins

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

“Passionately Emotive“

3 / 5

Phoebe and David are a happy couple – they’re engaged and excitedly planning their future together. But after a night at the theatre watching a production of ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’, their subsequent disagreements on the play lead them to much bigger discussions and revelations that force them to confront their own relationship issues.

As a theatre critic, Phoebe (Lyndsey Ruiz) is immediately poised to pick apart the show and its celebrity casting as much as possible, hating the adaptation with venomous enthusiasm. David (Jordan Fietta) on the other hand enjoyed the show, happy to enter a world of escapism rather than being forced to be challenged in the same way Phoebe desires from art. It’s a minor clash, but one which allows the characters personalities to be established early on – Phoebe is erratic, career driven and passionate, David is measured and happy to follow a more straightforward life plan, eager to begin a family and settle down. The pair balance each-other out well, with Fietta and Ruiz displaying believable chemistry, and realistic emotive shifts within their conversations.

An innocuous engagement card proves to be the catalyst of the evening, forcing skeletons out of the closet and harsh truths to be confronted. While the beginning half of the show is quite slow – mainly just a long introduction to the pair, the latter half really finds its footing, and delves further into the relationship, keeping the tension on simmer throughout, enjoyably gripping as their conversations quickly and intensely amplify. Ruiz’s well-written dialogue ensures that both characters feel genuine, and although not the most likeable pair, definitely a realistic depiction of a relationship bound by secrets and half-truths.

Though the earlier parts of the show are more beneficial for those who are aware of the narrative of ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ due to the lengthy critiques, conversations and observations of the play they watched, the majority of the show is a focus on a relationship at breaking point in this passionately emotive two-hander.

Runs until 20th December 2025