A young couple are queuing for the tills in Ikea when out of nowhere M mentions the idea of having a baby.
Immediately W spins into panic – questioning whether they are good people to consider the idea, the effect a baby would have on their lives, and the Eiffel Tower-size amount of CO2 a new life brings into the world.
The pair circle each other like gladiators in the amphitheatre as the characters’ subconscious do battle, while their bodies, unseen, share breakfast, drive in an unknown city or meet for a picnic.
Duncan Macmillan tells the whole story through their dialogue, jumping abruptly in time and space from line to line, while keeping the detail simple and sparse.
Both Sian Reese-Williams and Abdul Salis’s performances put the audience through the emotional wringer.
The auditorium fills with howls of laughter as Reese-Williams’ W tries to make the moment of conceiving their baby “special”.
And when the going gets tough the actors’ tears are reflected by the audience.
Such is the power of Lungs, which deals with both small scale reality and world issues affecting everyone’s lives in a highly original, absorbing and relatable way.
Don’t miss it.
Five stars
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