REVIEW – LOVE IN THE TIME OF LOCKDOWN – BREAD AND ROSES THEATRE

Posted on by Rachel Agyekum

Following a sold-out tour at the 2021 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Love in The Time of Lockdown headed to the South London venue, The Bread and Roses Theatre.

Written and directed by Saskia Wesnigk-Wood, the play features a number of scenes, with a variety of characters from all walks of life and how they coped during the height of the nationwide lockdowns. The cast includes Claire Coull, Gillian Fischer, Jon Terry, Martina Greenwood and Olivia Post, as they perform in 7 different scenes.

The play opened with an amusing scene between a patient visiting their doctor for their vaccination, with the patient repetitively exclaiming they hadn’t ‘touched anyone since last March’. This story set the tone for the rest of the show, as we meet different characters and explore the effects the lockdowns are having on themselves and their relationships. Together the cast, performed as characters that feel all too common and familiar. From the nosey neighbour to the anxious social distancer, I appreciated that each character could be associated with the audience’s own experience during the lockdown.

The 60-minute play managed to cover several topics such as social distance dating, self-love, family, lack of sex and loneliness. The stories were a blend of light-hearted humour and serious, sensitive topics. One poignant scene involved remembering those who had lost their lives during the pandemic; Gillian Fischer who played an elderly lady, gave a heart-warming performance as they recalled the memory of someone who had passed.

I enjoyed that the stories were an accurate depiction of the ‘unprecedented times’ we faced during the lockdowns. Saskia Wesnigk-Wood also included situations we may not have experienced and in turn, made me reflect and emphasise the characters.

The staging was minimal, with few interchanging props between scenes and dim lights to indicate a new story was about to be told. Though small, some props such as the empty vodka bottle beside the irritated helpline caller, were significant additions to the stories being told.

I felt some of the scenes were a bit awkward (*that* car scene) and other stories – the character who wanted to be buried in a silver dress – needed more depth. However, this was redeemed by the final two scenes. I really liked how the characters were intertwined for the helpline story, with each of the desperate callers detailing how tough the lockdown had been on them. Martina Greenwood stood out for me as they convincingly played the frustrated mother of two who just wanted a break. I also loved Jon Terry and Olivia Post as the actors-turned-drama teachers in the final story. I admired their chemistry (and the literature references!) in such a short scene. The pair captured exactly how we would imagine those in the arts industry felt during this time – longing to be back in the limelight and in front of an audience…. not a Zoom call. It was a sensitive scene with Olivia’s character reaching their breaking point and Jon’s optimistic character rushing to provide support, reminding them that they will be back on stage soon.

Lockdown was an out-of-the-ordinary yet shared experience we all faced. The play has done well to highlight the weird, wonderful, and tough reality during those times. Love in The Time of Lockdown is on until Saturday 11th June at The Bread and Roses Theatre.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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