EDINBURGH 2021: Review: MARRYING JAKE GYLLENHAAL, Online @ The Space

Melissa Center is a single woman living in Los Angeles whose mother has become fixated on the idea of her daughter marrying (part) Jewish A-list actor Jake Gyllenhaal. Center knows the idea is completely ridiculous...or is it?

Centre tells her story about living and working in LA and keeps finding links between herself and Gyllenhaal. She signs up to every dating app available and this play is about some of the men she encounters during her search for love.

The monologue is interspersed with musical interludes that are reminiscent of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and are a lot of fun. Centre is a charming performer to watch and you really get drawn into her story.

The quality of this digital production is high and features multi camera use and text messages projected onto a screen at the back of the stage which is a nice touch. Sound is also used well to create background noise and help set the scene.

Marrying Jake Gyllenhaal is not so much a story about Jake Gyllenhaal but of a woman feeling the societal pressure to find love and settle down. Performed with confidence and good humour, it makes for a pleasant way to spend an hour.

Marrying Jake Gyllenhaal is available at Online @ The Space from 6 August.

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