Happy Ending at Waterloo East Theatre Review
Billy Walker and Jimmy Essex. Photo by Gareth McLeod
Written by Penny for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Suitable for audiences aged 18+. This production contains some strong language and nudity.
Producer Adam Roebuck (F**king Men) has brought this new play written by Ronnie Larsen to the intimate space of the Waterloo East Theatre for a limited run. Happy Ending is set in a massage studio, in which Andy, a gay massage therapist has his routine disturbed by the arrival of a new client, Mr. Miller, a straight Trump supporter. But is everything as it first appears?
The set is simple, clean and a little impersonal. There’s a massage table in the centre, a couple of plants, pristine white towels and no personal touches. This is a good reflection of the personality that therapist Andy displays – he is 100% a professional, keeping his personal life completely separate from work.
Larsen’s script is very well structured. On first impressions, it appears that the story will be about a Trump supporting bigot learning to be a bit more tolerant and empathetic. As Mr Miller arrives for his appointment he is a typical Alpha male, clearly uncomfortable and asserting his masculinity in everything from his comments about women to his choice of background music. The clues are there from the start that there is more to this two-hander (pun not intended) than meets the eye. As Miller slowly opens up about his marriage, the peer pressure that has led to him voting for Trump and even his taste in music, barriers begin to come down and there’s a developing shift in the relationship between therapist and client and some clear similarities between the two men that flies in the face of their surface differences.
Larsen also directs and his choices clearly bring out every nuance in his script. The way the characters move around the stage suggests a game of “cat and mouse”, with the massage table, an essential part of the therapist/client professional transaction, acting as both a defensive barrier and a neutral territory as the two men’s interactions evolve. Initially the dialogue is slightly gabbled, but as the play progresses Larsen introduces pauses that add to both the tension and the growing understanding between these two men. There’s plenty of humour in the script and the staging of intimacy is very well handled – it never becomes smutty or uncomfortable.
Jimmy Essex and Billy Walker are well cast as Andy and Mr Miller. There is an instant chemistry between the characters and they easily convey their characters’ discomfort with their initial interactions. As Andy, Essex is softly spoken and a little uptight, his concern for his professional reputation always at the forefront of his mind. But he clearly reveals his inner feelings with expressive facial reactions behind his client’s back. His stillness during a monologue from Mr Miller was very effective, serving to amplify the words being spoken through his attentiveness.
Walker’s all American MAGA fan was a fish out of water in the massage room. Although swagger and bravado kicked in, a sense of vulnerability was always there in his portrayal. He also has great comic timing that really comes out with the excellent music choices that accompany the action, whether he’s getting down to classic American rock or serving a flamboyant lip sync to Adele!
As the play reaches its conclusion, audience perceptions of both men will have changed. Having bared all, both physically and emotionally, we’ve found out so much more about their characters than first impressions suggested. A few minutes could possibly be shaved off the running time as quite a lot of the early interaction is spent establishing the obvious differences between the men. This said, it’s a very entertaining hour and a bit (running at just over 70 minutes at this performance), and leaves you hoping for a “happy ending”, however you wish to interpret that phrase!
Happy Ending runs at the Waterloo East Theatre until Sunday 26th October. Find out more and book tickets here.
★★★★
