June is married to Leo, but she’s also having an affair with his twin brother Rob, and her personal trainer Hellmut. And a Catholic priest, John. Leo, meanwhile, is sleeping with Rob’s sister Michelle, his therapist Dr Shaw, as well as the family au pair Melissa. On top of all of this, June and Leo themselves are attempting to ‘spice things up’ as they hit the middle of their road together.
Sound complicated? Now place all of the action inside the same hotel room, then have all of the characters played by two actors.
Jeanette Cronin’s new play deconstructs modern infidelities with a wry wit and a knack for great dialogue. Cronin also performs alongside Paul Gleeson and the two display a hightened rapport, with gentle character shifts throughout. Kim Hardwick’s direction is flowing, with each scene overlapping rather than presented as vignettes.
There’s some excellent stage design from Isabel Hudson which present a realistic hotel suite alongside the more abstract; with floating petals and the addition of the musical duo onstage a great touch.
With this many characters however it does get a little tough to follow for the full 90mins, even with some excellent performances and character choices from Cronin and Gleeson. Rather than judge its subjects, the play is a lighter look at middle-class life in an era of fast movement and little connection.
I Love You Now is performing at the Eternity Playhouse until July 9. Tickets are available HERE.
The reviewer attended the performance on June 13th.
———-
