PLAY REVIEW: This Little Earth ★★
I t’s a curious irony that This Little Earth, a debut by Jessica Norman , should itself feel so resoundingly flat, especially in it's third act. Now playing at the Arcola, this two-hander promises an exploration of belief, delusion and connection in an age of misinformation, but despite its lofty ambitions, the piece never quite achieves lift-off. Fanta Barrie plays Honey and Ross O’Donnellan is Christopher, meeting in grief and curiosity, drawn by their shared attraction to alternative truths. Their chemistry, however, never fully emerges. Instead of crackling philosophical sparring or psychological friction, their interactions feel perfunctory; two soliloquies in search of drama. Directed by Imy Wyatt Corner , the production is well intentioned: shifting timelines and surreal hallucinations attempt to evoke the disorientation of belief and doubt. But when the “twist” arrives, the supposed revelation of hidden layers to Christopher’s identity, it lands flat. A show about flat...
