Nobody wants to hear that their pain is just not a big deal. In fact, I can pretty confidently say that there are few things more universally hated than having to prove how unwell you feel to a receptionist/representative/AI on the other line who couldn’t care less. In a refreshing new take on the frustrating battle against a bureaucracy that gatekeeps healing (call it the NHS, Student Services, or whatever you wish), Lila Ahnger reflects on the newest epidemic ransacking young adult life: the situationship.
Almost L*** is a vulnerable play. With a witty self-awareness, it toys with the audience, drawing us in to what almost seems like the playwright’s innermost thoughts. And autobiographical or not, it is a play that is real. Our protagonists, Rosalie and Alfie, tenderly and honestly portrayed by Ananya Nannapaneni and Henry Farmer, respectively, seem to represent the St Andrews experience perfectly. With the affectionate quips of Rosalie’s best friends, Carrie (Nicole Gibson Morales) and Joe (Elliott Reed), Ahnger creates such a familiar atmosphere that as an audience member, I could imagine myself having the same conversations with my own friends.
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| ID: Nannapaneni and Farmer. Credit: Eilidh Read. |
Almost L*** is also a very intimate play, exploring the most awkward, uncomfortable, and painful moments of (almost) falling in love. At times, it is maybe a little too intimate — there was a lot of sitting down and from my spot at the back I couldn’t see! However, though it may have translated better in a space with a more visible stage, the tension was palpable. Nannapaneni and Farmer skillfully navigate the emotional trainwreck that is developing a crush, and subsequently having your heart crushed.
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| ID: Dupont-Jubien. Credit: Eilidh Read. |
Yet, for a play that is so clearly tied to a time and place, it also plays very interestingly with the past. Through hilarious use of multimedia (no spoilers) and wildly extravagant sound and lighting, the tech team brings us right back to the 80s. In fact, the most stylised costume belongs to the Bureaucrat, played by Zoe Dupont-Jubien in loud clashing makeup and an incredible shoulder-padded skirt suit. Through this surreal time warp, and Dupont-Jubien’s commitment to the odd, off-putting, yet somewhat endearing character of the Bureaucrat, Almost L*** seems to remind us that really, maybe everything is not so serious after all.
Catch the play tomorrow night (Monday October 13th), while you can!
By Blanca (she/her)