Love, Love, Love - or love-hate relationships?

(l-r) Michael Barker as Henry and Chris Gilbey-Smith as Kenneth. Photo by Richard Smith.

Love, Love, Love by Mike Bartlett at The Loft Theatre, Leamington Spa from 6 - 16 May. Directed by Lynda Lewis.

Review by Ann Evans.

The Loft’s latest production may be called Love, Love, Love, but the overriding emotion that this dysfunctional family send out is loathe, loathe, loathe!  That does of course, make for an excellent evening’s entertainment.

The story is set over three very specific time periods, twenty years apart, and show the progression of the lives mainly of Sandra (Zoe Mortimer) and Kenneth (Chris Gilbey-Smith). In act one we meet Uni student Kenneth, taking advantage of his older brother Henry’s flat (and booze), swanning around in his silky dressing gown and being a total pain.

Zoe Mortimer (Sandra), Chris Gilbey-Smith (Kenneth) and Mollie Dibb (Rose). Photo by Richard Smith.

Act one is set in 1967 and the Loft’s backstage team have done a great job in creating a typical 60s flat with the swirly orange and brown wallpaper, cushion covers and Dansette record player. Henry, played by Michael Barker is doing his best to get his brother out of the house for a few hours as he has a new girlfriend – Sandra coming round. Full of comedy and very typical 60s remarks around women and attitudes makes you realise that we have moved on in some ways over the last 60 years.

Annoying Kenneth has no intention of making himself scarce until he meets Sandra for himself. And sadly for Henry, she is immediately attracted to him, and poor Henry doesn’t get a look in. In retrospect though, as we discover that Sandra is the wife/mother from hell, he ought to be thanking his lucky stars for escaping.

The family in later years. Photo by Richard Smith.

In act two it’s 1990, we are in a comfortable suburban house. Kenneth seems to have turned into his brother in appearance, so this reviewer found the opening scene slightly confusing before realising that Kenneth and Sandra have married, and now have a 14-year-old boy, Jamie (Julien Rosa) and a 16-year-old daughter, Rose (Mollie Dibb). And while Ken is a respectable middle-aged, hard-working man, with a heart of gold towards his children, he really is a useless dad, not taking anything on board that his children tell him.

But if we think he is useless as a father, wait until you meet Sandra – now a mum with absolutely no mothering skills or empathy towards her children at all. Never without a drink in her hand, she is driving her daughter insane – almost literally.  Excellent acting by Mollie Dibb as the teenage Rose, especially when her parents push her too far and she lets rip!

Kenneth and Sandra dance on, oblivious. Photo by Richard Smith.

Act three and we’re in a luxurious country house. Kenneth and Sandra are divorced and he lives with his son. Instantly you realise that something has affected the mind and confidence of Jamie. He is a nervous wreck and afraid of Rose when she visits.  Mum Sandra is also back to see her daughter, as Rose has something important to announce. No spoilers, but in this household nothing really changes. And if Kenneth and Sandra were selfish teenagers and terrible parents, as a retired couple the advancing years have done nothing to improve the situation.

Great acting by all the cast, an excellent script with lots of cringy-funny moments. Also, an excellent choice of background and interval music which set the mood and atmosphere for each relevant era.

For tickets go to:  https://lofttheatrecompany.com/