FEEL by James Lewis
Lion and Unicorn Theatre, NW5, 21-31 March 2018

“Simply staged and lovingly performed… a strong piece of writing succeeds in its aim to present a uniquely London take on love” ★★★★

In the program notes for FEEL, director David Brady explains how the company sought to capture the “London experience” – of falling in and out of love, and the many challenges that come with this.

The play oscillates between two young couples. We have Jamie (Jonathon George) and Naomi (Isobel Eadie), whose classic ‘go home after meeting at the club’ experience doesn’t quite go as planned, as the expected sexual encounter turns into a far more intellectual encounter. On the other hand, there’s Nick (James Vincent) and Karen (Gemma Wray), who strike up a conversation on a train platform, after having caught the same train for some time.

Both pairs captured two very real, very recognisable relationships, characterised by different attitudes towards commitment. Jamie is desperate to be loved and feels his life won’t be complete without it; while Naomi is afraid of love and the responsibility that comes with it but can’t quite express this fear in a way that assuages Jamie. The attitudes are switched between the genders with Nick and Karen; where Nick is afraid to commit due to health issues, Karen dives in headfirst and puts her heart on her sleeve, refusing to conform to the ‘polite Londoner’ stereotype (always refreshing.)

Performances across the board were strong. James Vincent and Gemma Wray were delightful to watch together – Vincent brought just the right combination of awkwardness and playfulness, which Wray matched with warmth and energy throughout. Jonathon George’s delivery was hilariously dry at some points, whilst also being able to bring the right amount of emotional gravity when it was needed. Isobel Eadie brought a lovely sass and confidence to Naomi. However, I felt she was let down by a character that wasn’t quite developed through to the end: I never reached the level of empathy with Naomi as I did with the other three.

Feel is a compact and well-paced work, which could easily do without the interval it had in this iteration. Simply staged and lovingly performed, it’s a strong piece of writing which succeeds in its aim to present a uniquely London take on love.

FEEL
Presented by Proforca Theatre Company
Written by James Lewis
Directed by David Brady
Lion and Unicorn Theatre, NW5, 21-31 March 2018

Tickets: http://www.proforca.co.uk/boxoffice

Sepy Baghaei is a theatre director originally from Sydney, Australia. She runs independent theatre company Suitcase Civilians, which produces internationally touring work. Sepy holds an MA in Advanced Theatre Practice from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. @sepy_b