A thousand love stories get comprised in this single tale, depicting the reality we all face when going through a relationship. Guillermo Nazara shares his thoughts on this production returning to London for a strictly limited run, to let us know if this is a play he is wedded to.
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken? How many times have we sworn to ourselves not to fall in love again? And yet, we keep making the same mistake. Not the one of having feelings for somebody new (or past), but of trying to convince us that there’s something wrong with it. Love often means risk. And risk means value. We’ve all been there, regardless of who, when or how. And that’s what Our Last First aims to portray. It doesn’t matter our background, gender or name. At the end of the day, anyone’s heart plays to the same beat.
Written by Lucinda Coyle, the script doesn’t take any twists or turns – at least, not any more than everyday life. It’s an easy (though no problem-free) story of two persons getting to know each other – walking hand by hand to find out how long that path will last. There’s no high drama, or big surprises. It is what it is, what we expect to happen. Not because it’s banal, but because we’ve all been there.
Despite featuring some very strong dialogues (undoubtedly, the show’s best trait), the plot development does have its flaws when it comes to the pacing. Though thoroughly depicting the logical evolution of a relationship, some scenes are unable to provide enough tension to the overall recount – unnecessarily slowing down the performance and affecting its interest. The blocking, on the other hand, prompts the opposite problem – the transitions often failing to create a proper visual jump and, many times, seeming rushed and unfulfilling.
Directed by Samuel Xavier, the full cast excels at bringing a true sense of honesty and emotion to their parts. What we see is what we get. It’s plain and simple. But never dull or fake. Coyle and Xavier’s choice to keep the roles gender-neutral works in complete favour of the narrative. Every possible boundary preventing the audience from seeing themselves reflected is erased – thus, prompting us to find traces of ourselves scattered on every character. Some way or another, we’ve all dreamed the same dreams and fought the same fights. And regardless of our final destination, we end up crossing similar bridges.
Our Last First is not indifferent to the shades and shines that form its story. There’s a few bumps ahead of the ride, but overall, it’s a reliable journey. It doesn’t bring anything new to the party, but it reconnects us with a reality that we know of and will always belong to. It may be soft at some moments, but it always manages to have a pulse.
All pictures credit to Lulu Camp.
Our Last First plays at London’s The Space until 14 June. Tickets are available on the following link.