Writer: Emily Farley
Director: Felicia Kaspar & Jamie Wolf
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Teen Soap Opera“
2.5 / 5
The Covid defining years of 2020-2021 where everything shut down in an attempt to control the virus is a time nobody will forget in a hurry. For the four students in the Cherston house share, lockdown forced them to be stuck with eachother day and night for months on end.
The constant time spent together wasn’t so bad at the beginning – the novelty of lockdown parties and social bubbles appealing to the close knit group. But as the months roll by, the “new normal” becomes a struggle and their relationships are pushed to breaking point. Eryn (Emily Farley) and Eeshan’s (Adi Roy Bhattcharya) flirtation is constantly crossing the line into something more – with Eryn hoping it will transform into an official relationship. Cara (Rebekah Bentley) and Simone (Sara Kaikkonen) are constantly at odds, Simone’s cheating and dismissive attitude towards Cara chipping away at her self-worth. Nic (Christian Clayborne) misses his partner, who lives too far away to be in the bubble, and Miranda (Mary Martin) misses a time when their friendship group were just normal friends having a laugh, and not bogged down in dramatics.
Farley’s narrative has an interesting concept – the exploration of how relationships deteriorated during Covid, and seeing the impact on individuals and their varying connections is intriguing, and at points, well executed. It’s enjoyable having so many narrative strands, which helps the plot progress, as opposed to solely focusing on one member of the household. Eryn and Eeshan’s will they/won’t they, and Simone’s abusive behaviour towards Cara are the two more central storylines, though Nic’s long-distance struggles, and Miranda’s grief watching her friendship group fall apart are often the scenes that engage the most.
The exploration of time passing is showcased with a calendar on the back wall, with most scenes taking place in a new month, though this is frustratingly at odds with the script. The audience are supposed to believe that the characters are with each other 247, yet a conversation in October, is continued on in November as though nothing has changed in between, and there hasn’t been any reference to it in the weeks that have supposedly passed. There are quite a few instances of this – from Eryn and Eeshan’s kiss, the tea sampling, Simone’s blowout at Cara, Nic’s frustration at the house parties; it would be more impactful if these leaps into the future showed further progression, as without the calendar, it could easily be interpreted as the following morning.
Running a little over the advertised 80 minute runtime, the production would work a lot better with more focus, and less filler. The first 30 minutes or so are mostly a repetitive, revolving door of parties and drunken antics, and while the necessary character introduction is there, it lasts a little too long, leaving less room at the end, where the narrative starts to feel rushed, just as it’s getting interesting. Conversations in the final 15 minutes that reference Nic’s attitude to rule-breakers, the BLM movement and racial tensions feel like an afterthought, squeezed in with not enough time to fully unpack, nor give them the attention they deserve.
There are definitely the foundations here to build into something stronger, as the moments of humour and shock woven through are enjoyable and engaging. It just needs to move away a little more from the current shouty, teenage soap-opera style, and repetition in the scenes to really connect with the audience, elevate the narrative and explore something exciting.
Runs until 20th August 2026
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