Review: THIS BEAUTIFUL FUTURE, The Yard Theatre

If you could do it again, what would you change?

In a chance encounter, two young lovers sit and get to know one another. They drink, play-fight, cuddle and forget the fact that their countries are at war. Planes fly overhead, looking for places to drop bombs, but in this countryside house there's a different sort of spark happening. This Beautiful Future is a compassionate take on a bleak situation.

When you meet someone for the first time and then can't get them out of your head afterwards, you wonder how you ever lived without them in the first place. This is the situation Elodie and Otto find themselves in. Their shyness in the 'getting to know you' stage resonates with anyone in the audience who has ever felt butterflies when they develop feelings for someone.

Abigail Lawrie and Tom Morley's chemistry on stage is magnetic. Their interaction is genuinely sweet, as they navigate their way around each other's bodies with uncertainty. Lawrie plays Elodie with a sultry coyness, and Morley's Otto is a tough soldier, with a certain naivety. Together they create a relationship that is highly watchable.

Alwyne Taylor and Paul Haley each stand inside a booth for the majority of the piece, and together they give heartfelt advice for the difficult times. Cécile Trémolières' design of this is almost karaoke-like. Jonah Brody has composed wonderful music that allows Taylor's soothing vocals to work fantastically with Haley's deeper tone.

The audience sing along to "Someone Like You", which sounds corny, yet it is anything but. In fact it's deeply moving, and a testament to Jay Miller's direction that this well-known song can be stripped back and subverted to have such a different affect.

Rita Kalnejais' writing has a profound impact on you. It reaches right in, connecting with your inner emotions. There is a beauty to this play that you cannot deny. It's an explosion of love, a welcome distraction to the war outside.

What advice would you give your younger self? Love at first sight is real, and you've just got to go for it.

This Beautiful Future at the Yard Theatre until 25 November

Photo Credit: Mark Douet

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