Review: HER ACHING HEART, The Hope Theatre, 1 December 2016

Hosted in the intimate Hope Theatre - decked in ruby velvet and rather decadent furniture for the occasion - this 25th anniversary production of Bryony Lavery's musical, directed by Matthew Parker and with a brand new score by Ian Brandon, is funny, energetic and deliciously overdramatic.

Her Aching Heart follows the troubled relationship between Harriet (Collette Eaton) and Molly (Naomi Todd) - the latter a lowborn maiden and the former a lady of high descent - from their not-so-hidden hatred for each other to the blooming of their love through the pages of a Gothic novel (also Her Aching Heart), read by modern-day Harriet and Molly, who are just starting to date. It spans back and forth between the two eras and follows the characters to various countries.

The production is stripped down to its corsets with very minimal staging and props, and actor-driven and always hilarious scene changes. The 50-seat room creates a perfect atmosphere for the musical, as the audience is immersed in the intimacy of the relationship, while the hidden single piano accompaniment only heightens the almost confidential setting. The energy and the mood changes are palpable and vivid, and it's quite easy for the actresses to give occasional nods to the crowd, involving them even more in the story.

Collette Eaton and Naomi Todd are an ideal match. They are perfectly in sync, and Todd's air-headed attitude is wholly balanced by Eaton's strength of character, which falters only when her love for Todd's Molly is involved. The two are at ease with each other and it's their chemistry that makes the show unmissable sapphic Gothic fun.

The stratagem of the story-within-a-story is not immediately clear, but once the show picks up its pace and its internal functioning becomes more apparent, it's easy to become doubly invested in the characters, thanks to the brilliant acting chops of Eaton and Todd, who dramatically overact the Gothic characters and ace their modern counterparts.

Lightning plays quite the role in the revival and Tom Kitney's work is impressive, driving the momentum of many scenes. This production could be a masterclass on how to make the most of an exceedingly small space and fairly simple props, and it's refreshing to encounter such brilliant simplicity.

Her Aching Heart runs at The Hope Theatre until 23 December 2016.

Photo by Roy Tan

To post a comment, you must register and login.