Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough – until May 2nd 2019 before continuing National Tour
Reviewed by Sara Garner
4.5****
The Edit is a 90-minute play about two people who have not seen each other or spoken to each other after the traumatic breakup of their relationship two years ago.
We journey with Nick (Jamie Wilkes) and Eleana (Meghan Treadway) as they explore what went wrong in their relationship. It has all the usual suspects of blame, infidelity, money issues, resentment, trust and forgiveness. Where did it all go wrong and can they ever get past this to accept what happened so that they can move on? Does the past define your future?
Such is the quality of the writing and acting that the audience feels like it is watching a real couple go through these events. The whole 90 minutes flowed effortlessly to an extent that it could have be adlibbed throughout as it was so natural. From this you sense the power of the emotions.
The Edit is beautifully written by Sarah Gordon and acted by Jamie Wilkes and Meghan Treadway who must have been shattered after such an emotional performance.
Nick and Eleana dancing to David Bowie songs during which the actors were silent but communicated a great deal through movement alone. This is a wonderful reminiscing scene of their past relationship between them.
A very simple but believable sets design adds to the ambience of the play. We could not find fault with the writing, acting or staging, it was a true privilege to have the opportunity to watch The Edit.
Anyone that has been through the trauma of a relationship breakup with be able to connect with the nuances that were portrayed in The Edit and theatre is the perfect medium to explore this.