Seven Dials Playhouse, London – until 30th September 2023
Reviewed by Celia Armand Smith
2**
As we sit and wait for the show to start, I spy the classic “Say it’s carol singers” cards from Love Actually on the floor next to a bench. This is a show about romantic comedies and if there is one thing I love, its a rom-com, and nothing says meet-cute like a bench. The show opens and in bounces Georgie Grier, the writer and performer of “Sunsets”, in a fluffy pink cardigan and heart shaped sunglasses. Grier plays Denver, a podcast host, and we are the audience for a live podcast recording. The concept is a novel one, and one that Grier has a lot of fun with.
Denver is on a mission to find her happily ever after via Notting Hill, The Wedding Planner, When Harry Met Sally, and every other rom-com from the last 35 years. The podcast has six episodes, and we are taken through each one leading up to this, the live recording of the final episode, “The Grand Gesture”. Adverts for dog food and bus tours with long discount codes punctuate each episode, and there is an off stage producer called “Producer Hannah” in Denver’s ear moving things along and promising to cut out the bits that go wrong. Both familiar features in podcasts.
With direction from Grace O’Keefe, there are some laughs, each one thanked by the character of Denver, and at times, the acting feels natural and malleable. Ready to change direction at a cough or a phone accidentally going off.
The story takes many a twist and turn via love at work, a bus tour, parents called Harry and Sally, a van with a cinema in it, and an absent friend. There are so many elements in the plot that it’s almost too much to be able to take in, and things are never explained or realised completely causing a bit of confusion. Grier is obviously a talented performer with huge range, and maintains a frenetic pace throughout. By the end of the 80 minutes (it overran a bit), and after a surprising ending, we are left trying to reconcile all of the plot points and figure out how it was all supposed to fit together.
“Sunsets” has real potential with a strong concept and a solid performance from Georgie Grier. Rom-coms and podcasts are ripe for a ripping apart, and after a few edits to the script, this could be the perfect vehicle for it.