Review: 1000 WAYS THE WORLD WILL END (& HOW IT STARTS AGAIN), King's Head Theatre

The end of the world is a questionable concept. Our little universes collapse all the time: a job, a relationship, a chapter of our life. “The end doesn’t become the end until we decide it is”, they say at the start of Alice Flynn’s 1000 Ways The World Will End (& how it starts again). Helmed by director Alice Robb with strands of simulation theory and a vibe steeped in folklore, the play follows two souls as they come back and find each other in three timelines. 

Flynn explores female dynamics through the ages, addressing the societal expectations that burden homosexual women to this day and challenging the role they have in a heteronormative society. It’s a darkly girly and sylvan production that reveals an understanding of the idiosyncratic consequences of unwanted feelings for another woman. Kalifa Taylor and Phoebe Cresswell are as delightful as they are intense. They balance the other’s personality with precision and tact in a delicate push-and-pull made of pained glances and playful teasing. 

A switch in the tone of their performance and a swift change in the writing define the jumps between the timelines. This creates a clear distinction that neither weighs on the style of the full project nor comes off as an artificial watershed between the storylines. The pace increases towards the cusp as they alternate from era to era while their adventure edges towards a version of the same ending. Running at almost one and a half hours without an interval, the show could be tightened when Flynn establishes the women’s relationships. It’s not redundant per se, but the first two acts of the narrative are slightly slow compared to the third.

The writer deftly weaves topical reflections on parental rejection, internalised homophobia, religion and dogma, and even apocalyptical philosophy into her plot, guaranteeing a thought-provoking journey that’s ultimately a deep dive into sapphic love. Robb directs with delicate visuals; natural fabrics and silver jewellery clothe the actors, while the set consists of three boulders that host a variety of cute mushrooms, shrubbery, and other random objects (the pink rotary phone and the number of wicker baskets add cottagecore quirk to the vision).

Taylor and Cresswell are outstanding. They subtly modulate their voices and physicalities according to the changes in character, dancing sweetly to a silent choreography, sprinkling it with kisses and giggles while the demise of their reality approaches. In short, they are beautifully and thoughtfully directed. The piece is imbued with all the tentativeness and innocence of a first same-sex romance. It’s meaningful and heartfelt, heartbreaking and joyous. It's a perfect fit for this Barbie summer we're having.

1000 Ways The World Will End (& how it starts again) runs at the King's Head Theare until 12 August.

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