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By Jessica McGee
Last Wednesday 18th August, I was invited to guest review Lovesick, on behalf of Centre Stage . Lovesick, written by and featuring Georgina Barley, was first penned in 2018, inspired by the song by Bob Dylan. Some scenes of the play had first been performed in 2018 at The Cockpit theatre, however the play has since been refined into a scaled back ‘Covid edit’, which was first staged in October 2020 at London’s White Bear theatre. The performance I saw was a two-night run at The Hen and Chickens Theatre, as part of the Camden Fringe programme.
Lovesick explores the complex relationship between the patient, surgeon and donor, and the fascinating concept of whether organs can hold memory and emotion. The play features two very strong female leads, Sarah (Georgina Barley), a patient in need of a heart transplant, and Maggie (Avena Mansergh-Wallace) her surgeon. From the very beginning, I was entranced by the movement between the characters, which ensured that the story was told beautifully even during the unspoken parts, which is testament to choreography from Marlie Haco and the collaboration with Movement Consultant (Emily Orme).
The themes of the play were explored through Sarah’s obsession with Maggie, despite not knowing her outside of the context of their medical appointments, and her discoveries as their relationship develops. The script featured both some extremely thought provoking lines such as ‘Organs don’t have memory’, whilst also providing the audience with some laughs when referencing modern pop culture such as The Sims, Uber and Tinder. Georgina and Avena both performed the story extremely well, leading the audience through the exploration of real or imagined feelings, and an unexpected plot twist which left the audience on the edge of their seats.
A special mention also goes to Reece Pantry, who has a small yet integral role, who effortlessly drew the audience in with his surprising appearance, providing some comedic value.
The play was directed by Marlie Haco and produced by Adele Reeves, who along with the rest of the creative team have collaborated brilliantly to present a really enjoyable and inspiring production.
I am giving Lovesick 5 stars, and would highly recommend watching it if you have the opportunity. Their next run is at The Hope Theatre in Islington, from 2nd-6th Nov 2021 and you can get tickets here.
Performance Attended: 18/08/2021 (Press Invite)
Running: The Hope Theatre, Islingtom 2nd – 6th November 2021
Cast: Georgina Barley, Avena Mansergh-Wallace, and Reece Pantry
Tickets: from £12
CentreStage 