Type – Australian Theatre, Independent Theatre, Rom Com
If you liked – Love Letters, Constellations, I and You
Strategic Love Play: A laugh a minute look at modern dating.
Since the explosion of the internet, amplified by the swipefest-hellspace that is ‘dating apps’, the quest for love has been squeezed and contorted into hyper-self-curation. Without a perfect six-picture reel and witty bio, you may as well call it a day. The task seems to have mashed more recent generations into a gooey mush that collectively lives in a liminal space between the constant desperate need for love and being euthanised. Miriam Battye’s latest piece, Strategic Love Play, has encapsulated it all.
Set in a ‘take your pick’ inner-city pub, with lighting so dim you might consider using your phone light to make your way, if that wouldn’t illuminate the horrifically unwashed carpet, we meet two 20-somethings on a first date. No more than a few sips into the first round, Battye has the two of them battling the cringe and awkwardness of small talk, as the beers are spilled, as are their innermost secrets.
We go from pitying to loathing to deeply relating to each of them. Neither is perfect, neither is a bad person – they just seem to run at each other in unusual ways. Battye’s script is rich with laughs and moments for reflection, and if you’ve not been on a date like this at least once – how?
Director Ava Rusch has milked the script for all the jewels of comedy and sincerity. However, the inclusion of a company of ‘recently graduated froms’ as other couples in the ‘pub’ is a distracting inclusion, and causes some sightline issues when the primary actors further bond on the freshly beer-soaked carpet. Another unfortunate combination of choices and environment is the sound design by Otto Zagala, which, while very apt, causes moments of dialogue to be compressed. This is exacerbated by the venue’s titular flight path overhead.
As ‘woman’, Georgia Paige-Theodos is extremely alluring and blissfully teeters on the fence between unhinged and longing. Paige-Theodos is the emotional glue of the piece, and while we don’t completely cheer for her, the air of ‘why hasn’t this happened yet’ is prominent and relatable. Opposite her, Calem Jameison’s ‘man’ oozes ‘“hey” is a good enough first message’. Jameison has the emotional gravitas to peel back the fragile layers of the character, and together the symbiotic nature of their performances is compelling.
Is Strategic Love Play Worth Seeing in Sydney?
By the end of the piece, the ‘let’s skip the hard bit’ notion proposed by Battye is something we almost root for. There is a level of yearning for the pair to just make the jump. Millennials and Zillennials will feel extremely seen in this piece, and while it can loop back on itself and has some unusual directing choices, it’s still an enjoyable, albeit a certain type of cringe-inducing, night in the theatre.
Tickets and Practical Info for Strategic Love Play in Sydney 🎟️
Written by: Miriam Battye
Directed by: Ava Rusch
Played at Flight Path Theatre 25-29 August
