Stay a Little Longer at Pleasance Courtyard Review
This new play from Tom Foreman, the writer behind the brilliant Boiler Room Six: A Titanic Story (read our five star review from last summer), looks at a long-term couple who are preparing to marry in just three months’ time. So isn't it about time to talk about the thing they're deliberately not talking about?
The play starts with “Her” (Rachel Nicholson) practising the speech she’s going to give at her upcoming wedding to “Him”. She’s recounting the story of how they met, an inauspicious start that’s anything but a “meet cute” but one that has turned into a 12 year relationship with her best friend that she wants to last a lifetime. As she loses her train of thought and expresses her frustration at her inability to write the perfect speech, her fiancé (Charlie Sheepshanks) arrives home. He wants to talk about “the thing”, but she is reluctant, preferring to get into the logistical details of their imminent wedding. The two actors have a very natural chemistry, their dialogue is fast-paced and totally gives the impression of a long-term partnership – disagreements about the wedding plans don’t hint at any deep resentments, it’s just bickering and not that important. They are completely at ease with each other, it’s all very normal.
At the start Nicholson is a little softly-spoken and with the relatively fast pace of the dialogue, some points could be missed for an audience watching the story play out for the first time. At times it feels more like a TV drama rather than a stage performance, but we don’t have the chance to rewind to catch anything we may have missed. But as the play progresses and the truth comes out, it’s easy to follow and the story is devastating, with a whole range of conflicting emotions.
There’s a lot of reminiscing about their shared history, the fact that they are both beginning to achieve professional success just as they are ready to commit to marriage, the only hint of any difficulty coming with her refusal to allow her bridesmaid to bring her new baby to the wedding. That’s too painful and starts to raise questions. The unmentionable thing is perhaps revealed a little early on (no spoilers here) but once it is out in the open, the two actors tell the rest of the story with powerful emotions, Nicholson in particular giving a performance that is heart-breaking in its intensity. Due to the nature of the story, Sheepshanks has less to work with but is still utterly convincing in his performance and reactions. The juxtaposition of their hopes and fears for the future alongside the reality that has now been exposed hits hard and is beautifully played.
With the hindsight that comes from the reveal, earlier interactions take on more meaning and the play goes full-circle, closing with another monologue from Nicholson that is a powerful conclusion. It’s a very well-structured piece of theatre that wears its heart on its sleeve and is incredibly moving.
Stay a Little Longer is at the Pleasance Courtyard until 31st August.
And Boiler Room Six: A Titanic Story, also starring Charlie Sheepshanks, is at the Pleasance Dome.
★ ★ ★ ★
Written by Penny for Theatre and Tonic, August 2026.