Park Theatre 8 June – 9 July. Reviewed by Claire Roderick
Inspired by writer Gareth Farr’s own experiences, The Quiet House follows Jess (Michelle Bonnard) and Dylan (Oliver Lansley) as they go through IVF treatment.
The play begins with Jess waiting for Dylan to return home so that they can have sex as it is her peak fertile time. Instead he enters in an agitated state and tells a wonderfully convoluted and horrifying story about his visit to the shop. At this point, Jess already appears to be a mother, albeit to the stressed and slightly neurotic Dylan. The dynamics of their relationship change throughout the play, with Dylan becoming stronger and supportive as Jess begins to lose hope.
The reality of treatment is shown and explained unwaveringly, with repeated scenes of Dylan preparing the syringe as Jess waits silently and anxiously. But after every injection, there’s a kiss. Farr’s writing is brutally honest, with the couple turning on each other at times and sharing some bitter home truths, but the strength of their love is shown most powerfully in almost silent scenes that feel very honest and realistic. While the kitchen timer ticked down 2 minutes and Jess and Dylan watched anxiously, the audience was rapt, some were in tears. When the result was negative, there followed the most emotionally raw piece of acting I’ve ever seen. The way the actors moved and looked at each other is spellbinding and heart-breaking. I ran out of tissues at that point.
But, just like real life, the tragedy and stress is mixed up with lighter moments. Dylan and Jess are well written, clever and funny characters, and their narrative is helped along by Dylan’s boss, Tony (Tom Walker) – a kind of hybrid of Doctor Fox and David Brent, and upstairs neighbour Kim (Allyson Ava-Brown) – a new mother with no bladder control who lives upstairs. As well as being comedy gold, these characters highlight other aspects of IVF treatment. Dylan’s reluctance to tell anyone about what is going on leads to complications at work – at one stage they are convinced Jess has cancer! While Jess’ subtle underlying resentment of Kim’s motherhood leads to tension.
Michelle Bonnard portrays the physical need of Jess to have this baby with a fierce intensity and is simply stunning. Oliver Lansley reveals Dylan’s inner strength subtly as the play progresses, but still keeps that wild eyed look that may lapse into complete panic at any time. Their interactions are sublime and fill this love story with passion and hope.
The Quiet House is a funny, honest and emotional play that is brilliantly written and beautifully acted. A must see.