Review: LOVE'S A BEACH, Soho Theatre

“A relationship isn’t something you can play with”

Written by Katie Sayer and Will Johnston and directed by Phoebe Gibby, Love’s A Beach follows Ben [Iain Ferrier] and Cyrus [James Akka], the winners of a dating reality show, after their time on the screen as they settle into life together as a couple.

We are first introduced to the pair as they are filming one of their many sponsorship videos, this time with Cyrus wearing a “Happy Nappy” adult nappy and saying their incredible slogan, “Live, laugh, leak.” Ben quickly emerges from where he’d been standing behind the audience, ensuring that they will be on time for their meeting with former fellow contestants Danny and Mari. 

However, things aren’t perfect for the lovers - arguments begin to arise when they are choosing which sponsorships to take, as Cyrus is interested in ones that will help him reach his goal of a million followers, while Ben wants to focus on using his platform for advocacy, leading for him to supporting a range of animal-related charities. These different priorities are already putting a strain on their relationship, but then one sponsorship truly puts them to the test - “Lust for Leisure,” a travel company, wants to pay for the couple to fly out to Dubai to stay in a hotel and take over their social media. Cyrus is all in, but Ben, aware of the dangers of being queer in the United Arab Emirates, is not so sure. 

Ferrier and Akka are a fantastic duo and handle the double-hander with ease, managing to mix banter and romance in a way that feels incredibly realistic for couples. Some of my favourite moments between the two are when they are having phone conversations or even reading out text messages to one another, which leads to them saying things “ha ha ha ha” and “heart emoji” with deadpan expressions. Cyrus has some fantastic quips that had me howling with laughter, even when I was more on Ben’s side in their arguments. 

One of the clever things that Love’s A Beach does it have commentary in between scenes. Whenever Ferrier and Akka are offstage, the lights turn pink and blue and comments on the news are played over the speakers, including clips from radio shows discussing Cyrus’s escapades at a club or Ben’s reaction to seeing Cyrus in Dubai. Though the robotic voices get a little grating at times, the quick and witty comments make for some of the best lines in the show, especially those in which it sounds like audience members are calling in to share their thoughts on subjects. 

For those of us sitting in the back of the theatre, it was difficult to see Akka and Ferrier at times, especially when they were lounging around on beanbag chairs, hidden under the heads of other audience members. Luckily, this didn’t detract too much from the show as a whole, as these scenes did not last for too long and there weren’t many physical movements.

I did have some issues with the ending that led to this not being the perfect show. Without going into too many spoilers, Love’s A Beach has a very abrupt ending that leaves more questions than answers, which does make sense in today’s modern world of rumours and conspiracies on social media, but left me wanting more from Cyrus and Ben. 

Ultimately, Love’s A Beach is a witty and modern take on the lengths that people will go to for fame, taking the age-old themes of greed and love and placing them within the context of a reality show. Sayer and Johnston have written a fantastic play and I hope to see more of it in the future!

Love’s A Beach ran on February 8 2024 at Soho Theatre.

To post a comment, you must register and login.