Lovesong is compelling, understated perfection. Where so many writers relentlessly hammer the message home, Abi Morgan lets subtlety, and often what is not said, be a more telling voice.
The result, as we trace a couple’s journey from young lovers to enduring elders, is both poignant and uplifting.
There is a kind of universality about their progress - starting with youthful optimism, struggling with life’s disappointments, yet staying the sometimes rocky course of a relationship to the end.
Where once a lifetime lay before them we see the last sands of togetherness slip through the hourglass as terminal illness takes its toll.
The couple are played in their young years by Edward Bennett and Leanne Rowe, and in later life by Sam Cox and Sîan Phillips.
In this beautifully constructed piece the past and present ebbs and flows effortlessly across the stage - sometimes physically mingling as memories are rekindled like welcome ghosts.
Bennett and Rowe give sparkling performances as the childless young couple - ultimately always in love despite disagreements that threaten to de-rail their relationship.
Phillips gives a stunning performance as the ailing older woman. As her body crumbles you can feel her pain and desire to hide it. Cox, as her aging husband, is a man in denial - his love translated into practical acts like collecting her medicine. In a fine performance he too conjures some of the lithesome joys of a younger time.
There are almost balletic moments as bodies, young and old, intertwine in choreographed affection to haunting soundtracks that bring a further dimension to a hugely memorable performance.
Drum, Plymouth, September 30-October 15
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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