Writer: Shireen Shaikh
Director: Julia Stubbs
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Lacking Focus“
2.5 / 5
Malika is a teenage influencer, Victor is a travelling salesman – the pair don’t have much in common, other than them both trying to break away from old relationships that are holding them back from their future and keeping them stuck in the past.
Malika (Christie Fewry) wishes she had never met The Boy (Bryan Seisay). The relationship turned sour and he hasn’t left her alone since – following her with fake accounts on social media, turning up at events she’s working at and constantly sending threatening messages to her phone. She doesn’t want to turn to the police, hoping he’ll give up and move on, despite her best friend Sophia’s (Leila McCalla) pleas for her to take it more seriously. He can’t stand being ignored – but how far will he actually take his obsession?
Victor (Charlie Buckland) is in his late 50s, having spent years on the road as a travelling salesman, the lifestyle is starting to catchup with him. Younger, fitter, hungrier salespeople are getting deals on the board, winning awards he used to dominate and thriving in the field that he carved out his career in, so much so, he neglected his family and is now all alone. His wife (Kate Russell-Smith) has left him, his child is in the process of transitioning much to his distaste, and the only company he has is a mannequin that he carries around with him to replace his ex-wife.
Shaikh’s play is very busy, packing in so many themes, characters and narrative threads that it’s often hard to make sense of what’s actually happening. While it’s commendable to create such a complex character web, it’s unfortunately to the shows detriment, as it feels like box ticking exercises to squeeze as much in as possible, as opposed to the scenes having concrete meaning and focus within the script. Because the two main characters stories aren’t linked in any way (other than a very brief crossover at the very end) there is initially some confusion as to why both stories are being told together, with just the faint thread of past relationships being used to combine the two storylines at once.
With various flashbacks, imaginary characters, internal dialogue spoken aloud and actual character dialogue, the format is currently quite messy, and despite some minimal lighting changes (Ben Batdorff) there isn’t often much clarity on what’s real and what isn’t. This makes it harder to invest into each of the character’s stories, and subsequently, harder to root for the characters themselves. Moments that you’d expect to be have more attention on, such as the integral latter scenes with Boy, Sophia and Malika, are brushed away quickly, with very little fanfare, which is a missed opportunity considering the shock value and intensity of the scenes.
There are some enjoyable moments, such as Victor’s humorously awkward dance scene at the office party, and Malika’s personable, realistically performed YouTube content, which help to engage the audience and keep their interest. The cast work well together in switching between scenes, it would just be great if the script could be tighter and more focused to help the themes of connection and relationships better shine through.
Runs until 29th August 2026
RatedReviewed 
I was quite disappointed with this Play. I found the Mannequin quite disturbing and bizarre!! And wondered how the Sales Rep easily transported her!! Perhaps a framed photo of his Wife would have been more believable – and easier to take on the road!! I lost interest as the two stories were so disconnected until the end. There was one shocking scene that could have/should have been delivered much more dramatically, but instead, it was over and done with very quickly and casually!
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