What does it take to tell someone you love them? Especially when you’re a young man and the object of your love is another young man in a small village in Ireland. And are words enough?
This two-person play opens with two young men trapped on a rooftop, looking down at the police searching for them, hoping they’ll escape.
Mikey (River Stevens) can’t afford to misstep with the law. It will certainly mean jail time for him based on his track record. But there are worse things to be faced than the law.
Even though the lads find themselves trapped on a rooftop, that rooftop is on Casey’s (Asher Guthrie-Jones) house, where he lives with his mum and her abusive partner. For Casey, it’s this partner that is more horrifying than getting caught by the police.
As the play progresses, homoerotic overtones emerge, first discreetly and then overtly. With their sexuality, both lads are pretending to be something they’re not. It’s in their shared secret that they find commonalities.
The first thing that strikes you as you enter the theatre is Casey (the set and costume designer, not to be confused with the character) Harper-Wood’s almost life-size impressive rooftop set.
While it’s the set that makes the first impression, it’s quickly followed by the entrance of Mikey’s balaclava-hidden face and Casey’s similarly hidden (no spoilers!) face. Those costumes mean that Harper-Wood’s work is the first thing to leave an impression on you.
Playwright John O’Donovan’s script captures an authentic Irish-British voice for the characters. Casey and Mikey then engage in a well-orchestrated dialogue dance – punctuated with getting high – that ends in destruction/hope.
Part of the point of the play is that showing love is more important than telling someone you love them. You’ll leave this play wondering, “How can I show someone I love them tonight?”
If We Got Some More Cocaine I Could Show You How I Love You
Meat Market Stables, 2 Wreckyn Street, North Melbourne
Performance: Tuesday 10 October 2023
Season continues to 21 October 2023
Information and Bookings: www.melbournefringe.com.au
Image: River Stevens and Asher Guthrie-Jones – photo by Alex Winner
Review: Daniel G. Taylor