THEATRE REVIEW: The Edit ★★★★

The Edit
Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
Thursday 16th - Saturday 18th May 2019

It’s been two years since Elena (Meghan Treadway) and Nick (Jamie Wilkes) have last seen each other when we begin the production, as Elena has come to collect a camera she once left behind, and so when Nick suddenly suggests wine in a urge for Elena to stay, they soon enough start to reflect on where their relationship suddenly went wrong all those years ago, and we as an audience are simply hooked. What I found fascinating about this production was that though the subject matter is not in any way original, Sarah Gordon has managed to write a complex and riveting piece of theatre which is utterly relatable to possibly many of the audience who will witness this play, as I’m sure we have all fantasied at one stage in our lives about what it would be like to share an evening with a past lover, and uncover their version of events and how much they have changed following a separation, something our two protagonists seem to share opposing views on.

Spanning over 90 minutes on real time movement, Treadway and Wilkes both give compelling and naturalistic performances that we as the audience feel like flies on the wall to, as the truths of financial debt, infidelity, and housing conditions are interwoven into play. Sam Wilde’s design brings this simplistic setting into a confined and intimate space like the Irving Studio at The Everyman beautifully, where we can see the raw emotion and attention to detail perfectly. The two leads chemistry is undeniably clear on stage, where we can see with much precision the expression and emotion that these two characters have been carrying the weight of for so many years.

Nick’s outbursts of rage and eye twitches combined with Elena’s abrupt movements and hysterical laughter does at times verge into a more preformative state, peeling away from the naturalistic feel that we get from the former half, but this can be easily set aside as we continue to be drawn into their story, which never lets up on the tension. What is clear though is the humour and comic timing brought upon from the script and the execution, which is second to none. I found myself laughing multiple times, some granted due to nervousness, right to the very end, and even when it looked like it was going to conclude in an unfavourable tone, one last gesture of pure sacrifice, which will make even the most cold hearted of us warm towards this conclusion, fully cemented a fully mesmerising performance from all involved.

Overall, The Edit is a brave production which starts to push and open up more the boundaries and possibility of rekindled love, not before throwing everything onto the table and scowling through the past, which at times can be very hard to bring up when you’ve known only your version for so long.