A night of passion and revelations
Suitable for ages 16+.
Recipe for success in a two-hander:
- The engagement of the audience relies largely on the stage presence of the two actors.
- Both actors must maintain the energy of both themselves and the narrative, from start to finish.
- Both actors must have an incredible chemistry. Even if the two characters are in disagreement, this dynamic is only effective if the actors have an excellent working relationship.
Lyndsey Ruiz and Boyan Petrov are the two actors in Tell Me You’ll Think About It. They fulfil the recipe for success and then some – this play is exquisite! It is dramatic and hilarious, passionate and truthful. Certainly an unforgettable piece!
Tell Me You’ll Think About It is about a jaded theatre reviewer named Phoebe (Ruiz) and her boyfriend Dave (Petrov). For 75 divine minutes, we watch the two characters go from having polarising opinions of a play – Dave thinking it was good, Phoebe hating every second – to exposing each other’s most ugly, vulnerable, and fervid traits. It is reflective of the legendary classic film Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), with the principal actors bouncing lines off each other like a record-breaking game of tennis, but with much more brilliant humour and heart. The play refuses to slow down, but the lines are still piercing enough for us to mull over them long after we leave the theatre.
The play is intense, but not a single second is wasted on exaggerated or unnecessary emotion. The strained dynamic between Phoebe and Dave feels relatable; Lyndsey Ruiz, also the writer of this fantastic play, perfectly articulates the ways in which we may sabotage our relationships. The characters are neither saintly nor cruel, merely victims of their own flaws. Ruiz and Petrov clearly know their characters inside and out, approaching the more difficult scenes with patience while also holding their characters accountable for their maladaptive traits. It is always refreshing to see this in a story – must we always root for a character, or despise them? Phoebe and Dave aren’t our heroes, they are just like us. We are boring, we are dissatisfied, we have unfinished and unrealised dreams, and we have the spark in our hearts that allow us to keep going.
On the surface, Tell Me You’ll Think About It mocks the idea of “speaking your truth”. This phrase seems like a fallacy, something stupid people say to get us to do something with our lives. But that’s the epic thing about the medium of theatre, and Ruiz clearly recognises this – acting allows those with a truth too complex to speak to convey exactly what is on their mind. This was evident in Ruiz’s microexpressions; just as Phoebe was being confronted by Dave about her imperfections, it seemed as if Ruiz had put herself on trial with this play. Stories like these allow us to process our traumas, and forgive ourselves for simply being human.
Kudos to everyone involved! I certainly will think about this play, that’s for sure. I loved every moment!