THEATRE REVIEW: In Other Words ★★★★★

In Other Words

Everyman Theatre Irving Studio, Cheltenham

Friday 15th - Saturday 16th February 2019

Off the Middle presents In Other Words, the tale of Jane and Arthur, a young couple who we meet at the beginning of their relationship where 'the incident’ first occurs and propels us, the audience, into a loving but equally heartbreaking story as we see the deterioration of Arthur's memory's through Alzheimer's.

In Other Words is a beautiful representation of the effects of Alzheimer's and the progression of the disease through the eyes of Jane and Arthur, who throughout the production jump from the action to address the audience, with later moments doing so to utter silence from the audience as we are so compelled into their story, or the smatterings of sniffles as there becomes a distinctly lack of dry eyes in the house.

Angela Hardie (Jane) and Matthew Seager (Arthur) relentlessly pull at the heartstrings of the audience as they effortlessly weave through the story, which starts at the ending before jumping to the beginning, ultimately showing the enduring love between these two characters that'll never break no matter how hard they are pushed to their limits. Hardie is sensational in the role of Jane, becoming the true voice for the audience as the music of Frank Sinatra is embedded to reference poignant moments in the productions which'll make you never be able to hear his music the same way without the thought of these two timeless characters in your mind.

In Other Words is utterly heartbreaking but a truly uplifting piece of theatre which showcases the real strength and bond in relationships no matter what the situation you are pushed into - Jane's love for Arthur and her choice to stick by him throughout his suffering is heartfelt and beautiful, with my only wish that the production was seen to a bigger audience or at least a longer run.