The Plays The Thing at White Bear Theatre Review
A play within a play within a play. The Play's The Thing, presented by Happy Cannibals, is an incredibly clever exploration of human relationships, miscommunication and the often uncomfortable truths we refuse to confront.
Centred around the world of a small pub theatre production, the evening unfolds across three interconnected pieces, each offering a different perspective on the same theatrical setting. From the rehearsal room to the post-show conversations in the bar, we're offered a glimpse into the complicated relationships that exist both on and off the stage.
The first, The Rehearsal, written and directed by Maya Yousif, explores the increasingly fraught relationship between an actor and his director. A self-important nepo baby, convinced of his own revolutionary artistic vision and seemingly bolstered by his mother's success, he clashes with a performer whose instinctive people-pleasing and reluctance to express genuine emotion make her an increasingly difficult subject for his creative ambitions. What begins as a somewhat amusing battle of artistic egos gradually develops into something far more uncomfortable, as his relentless attempts to extract an authentic performance force her to confront emotions she has spent years suppressing. It's a fascinating examination of the boundaries between artistic expression and emotional exploitation, and the uncomfortable question of how far someone can be pushed in the pursuit of authenticity.
The second, The Baby, written and directed by Rachel Kitts, takes us into the aftermath of a performance, where playwright Maisie is reunited with two university friends. Initially full of compliments and polite conversation, the encounter gradually unravels as it becomes apparent that the three are carefully avoiding the real subject at hand. Beneath their seemingly supportive exchanges lies a fractured friendship, unresolved resentment and a fundamental misunderstanding of the events that drove them apart. As the conversation develops, the distinction between what has been written for the stage and what has been left unsaid in real life becomes increasingly blurred. It's an especially interesting exploration of how differently we can interpret the same experiences, and how easily the absence of honest communication can distort our understanding of one another.
Finally, The Thing, written and directed by Jessica Wendy Murdoch, moves into the theatre bar, where a husband and wife find themselves locked in an increasingly revealing verbal standoff on their tenth wedding anniversary. What should be an evening of celebration instead exposes the fractures that have developed throughout their marriage. While she remains determined to preserve their relationship, he struggles to find the confidence to articulate his true feelings. The result is a painfully recognisable portrait of two people who, despite sharing a decade together, seem unable to communicate what they actually want from one another.
A particular standout was Ella Blackburn in The Thing, who expertly balanced the comedic demands of her character with a genuine sense of believability. There is something wonderfully absurd about the wife's apparent obliviousness to her own personality and behaviour, yet Blackburn never allows the performance to descend into caricature. Instead, she treads a delicate line between comedy and sincerity, making a character who could so easily feel exaggerated entirely convincing.
What makes The Play's The Thing such an effective concept is the way these three seemingly separate encounters become connected through their shared exploration of communication, vulnerability and the roles we assume in our relationships. Despite being independently written and directed, the transitions between the three pieces are remarkably seamless, allowing the evening to unfold as one coherent production rather than three individual short plays. Each explores characters who are, in their own ways, performing for one another, concealing their genuine feelings behind carefully constructed versions of themselves. There is something particularly clever about using the theatre itself as the setting for a wider examination of the performances we give in everyday life.
The writing throughout is clear, purposeful and well-paced, with each piece confidently establishing its characters and gradually revealing the tensions beneath their relationships. There are occasional moments, particularly in the first two acts, where the humour feels a little too obvious, with certain gags lacking the subtlety of the otherwise intelligent writing. These moments are thankfully few and far between, however, and do little to detract from the overall strength of the production.
An inventive, sharply observed and thought-provoking piece of fringe theatre, The Play's The Thing demonstrates just how much can be achieved through a simple concept, strong writing and an insightful understanding of human behaviour.
The Play’s The Thing will play at the White Bear Theatre until 31 October 2026.
★★★★
Written by Annie for Theatre and Tonic, October 2026.
