A sharp psychological romance that will have you wondering, do you truly know the person you share your bed with?
As the lights go up, we meet Clara, (Saskia Mollard) – a young woman, defeated, broke and lonely. She is fed up with living in survival mode and decides to change her circumstances for the better. She enlists herself into a programme where you swap out your healthy organ in exchange for someone else’s no matter what condition the other organ is in. Clara convinces herself that it is about the money and puts her moral judgments to one side.
As Clara’s treatment continues, she meets a sweet young man, Tom (Tobis Abbott) who offers up charming conversation, makes her smile and has a real impact on her. The two begin a wonderful relationship and within two months Tom is asking Clara to move in. Clara struggles at first to accept this offer saying she doesn’t need a ‘carer’, however as time goes on her heart gets worse, the promise of being cared for when she has little money and nowhere else to go is really her only option and she agrees to move in with Tom.
As the relationship moves forward it becomes clear that these two need each other. Clara is increasingly pessimistic about her heart and makes frequent comments about death and when she will die. Tom is the antidote, he attempts to quell this negativity by giving her a more positive outlook on her situation. Instead of a ‘bucket list’ it is a ‘list of things we can do together whilst we’re living here…sort of thing’ Clara begins to soften towards Tom, she allows him to take care of her and starts to form a loving attachment to him. One evening, they play blind karaoke, talk about their past, Clara allows him to be more intimate with her and touch her scar and Tom opens up about his heartbreaking and dysfunctional relationship with his Dad. It is in these moments that our two charming actors shine.
Like with any relationship, unless there is trust and communication at its foundation, the cracks will start to show. Clara continues to push Tom for more details about his past, who his friends are and his relationship with his dad. Tom is reluctant, but tries to soothe her with promises of meeting his friends in Bristol. Clara is not convinced and decides she wants to take some of her independence back. She attempts to go to a hospital appointment alone but is met with difficulty as Tom insists he goes with her. Clara gives him an ultimatum, ‘either you let me go alone or I move out.’ Tom allows her to go alone, but when she comes back later that evening, he confronts her saying he was worried where she was and that she turned her ‘Find my friends’ off.
As she enters the flat, Clara’s energy has dropped. She has discovered through the medical records whose heart she is carrying. It is Tom’s father’s. We feel the horror and disgust rising in Clara as she discovers Tom has been keeping many secrets from her and those ‘skeletons in the closet’ he told her didn’t exist, start tumbling out. Tom reveals that his father died after the surgery and that this heart, the one in Clara’s chest, is the last piece he has left of him. Sickened by this, Clara attempts to leave, Tom pleads with her, promising that he will look after her, get her some food and that will sort this whole thing out. His demeanour has changed slightly to that of a more forceful nature and Clara begins to realise he won’t let her go. Door locked and Tom casually ordering them a takeaway sends Clara into fight of flight mode. When his back is turned, Clara reaches for his dad’s penknife, secretly hiding it away. She takes it out in a last attempt at freedom. Tom backs down and allows her to have the keys to the door. However when her back is turned, he grabs for her and they enter into a scramble. As she tries to escape, Tom launches himself at her and runs head on into his father’s blade.
The play ends with Clara under the spotlight, going through the events that ensued and how the paramedics found them ‘tangled’ together and could only save one of them. She comments on how she feels more connected to Tom, to her heart and that they will all heal together. This came across as a strange change in personality at first, however it is common in those who share organ transplants to take on the characteristics of their donor. Maybe this is why Tom felt so drawn to Clara, she has his father’s heart and he wanted to protect that heart, whatever the cost.
I enjoyed the play’s use of props which were found in medical bags along the outside of the stage paired with lighting and sound to indicate a shift in the scene, place and time. The discarding of the bags on the floor was careless, created a mess and could be seen as a foreshadowing for Clara and Tom’s spiralling relationship. Both Saskia and Tobias delivered their lines with ease and clarity, their on stage chemistry was natural and charming. Overall, the stakes needed to be higher in the later scenes where Clara realises she has become trapped and is now fighting for her freedom. But one moment that did stand out which was beautifully chilling was when Clara discovers the door is locked and Tom is casually ordering souvlaki over the phone. ‘Oh I forgot to order you a drink!’ Hands up to Josh Maughan for the direction on this piece, it is slick, well rehearsed and keeps the audience on their toes. It has the potential to be a real stand out psychological thriller for stage. I’m excited to see where it goes.