Writer: Alexander Millington
Director: Helen Millington
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Purposefully Uncomfortable“
3 / 5
Helen has been losing her memory over the past few years, her husband Alexander doing everything he can to be there for her. But, is there ever a line that needs to be drawn when it comes to supporting a loved one?
The memory issues started simply enough – forgetting what time it was or who was coming to a party, but as time progressed, so did Helen’s (Helen Millington) symptoms. She started having to use a script during one of the many theatre productions the pair put on together, kept forgetting key parts of her life with Alexander (Alexander Millington), and most disturbingly, stopped having the capacity to cover up the dark secrets she’d kept hidden from him over the course of their relationship. The more Alexander gets to know the real Helen, the more horrified he becomes, but he’s finally decided to step in and confront her no matter the cost.
Split Infinitive’s curiously contrasting, spiralling narrative is, if nothing else, a stark, intense shock to the system. Without giving too much away, I didn’t read any trigger warnings going in, and for the purpose of not providing any spoilers, I won’t include them here. The show starts with some light interaction, filling out cue cards about early memories to be later referenced in the show, with Alexander briefing the audience that none of the evening had been rehearsed other than the technicalities from the lighting or sound effects.
It starts innocuously enough, the audience are sympathetic to Helen and her memory loss, frustrated in unison with her when she cannot conjure a specific time in her life or interaction that she’s desperate to remember. Music is what helps to bring her back, whatever song she heard during a time in life, when she hears it again, she remembers the moment, whether it’s dancing in the field with friends as a teenager, or slow dancing with Alexander during their wedding. Because of this, there are multiple scenes accompanied with snippets of songs, as she reminisces, sweets are handed out during a “party” for Helen – all very light-hearted!
But there is a VERY dark part in the narrative, that when revealed is extremely confronting, emotional and intense, it’s well performed by both actors, and the shock factor for those who didn’t read the trigger warnings is definitely impactful, but it is strangely mixed into the otherwise easy to digest storyline. The accompanying photos, sound effects during one key scene within the reveal, and the confrontation between Alexander and Helen are all extremely (purposefully) uncomfortable.
The overall intention of the show – other than to shock, and disarm the audience, isn’t fully embedded, which would help the reveals be more understood. Is it to showcase what a monster someone can be under the surface? To explore how far you can go for someone you love? Or to elicit sympathy for someone going through something as terrible as losing their entire persona – despite who they are? Or, is it all of the above, and to force the audience to ask questions as they are made to abruptly leave the theatre…
Runs until 17th October 2026
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