A comedy-drama about two sisters who stick together from beginning to end
Suitable for ages 16+.
Sisyphean Quick Fix is a well-organised and creative two-hander, a comedy-drama about sisterhood and alcoholism. Tina Rizzo and writer-producer Bettina Paris portray Pip and Krista, two Maltese sisters whose lives are experiencing major shifts. Pip, living in Malta, is engaged. Krista, living in London as a bartender and aspiring actor, is preparing for an audition. Their father has been an alcoholic for a very long time.
Bettina Paris’s writing is a deft blend of the funny and the serious. She approaches the painful topics carefully without being overly cautious – there are several laugh-out-loud moments, a couple of good jokes sprinkled into a serious moment, all the divinely human moments that make the characters and their situations so compelling. And in the more intense scenes, Paris doesn’t shy away from delivering lines that hit hard. None of the scenes are a waste of time; every second is absolutely worth watching. Everything is very well-planned, a testament to director Nicky Allpress’s fantastic creative vision.
The magnificent chemistry between Paris and Rizzo is palpable throughout the play. It is so entertaining to watch them bounce lines off each other, one sister having a swift and witty comeback for the other! Even in the scenes of confrontation and stress, you really feel as if Pip and Krista know each other inside and out. With any two-hander, even if the characters are in disagreement, it is vital for the actors to work in equilibrium. Neither Paris nor Rizzo upstage each other. Both are amazing. Both are memorable, equal in significance to this play. This isn’t Krista’s story, or Pip’s story, it is a story of two people who depend greatly on each other. It is clear that both the cast and the crew understand that there is “no one without the other”, and so the care with which the relationship between Pip and Krista is portrayed is always visible to the audience.
The set design is also splendid! The audience will walk in and see a multitude of boxes, all stacked in different angles and filled with several paraphernalia. This allows for the scenes to change without the whole set being shrouded in awkward darkness; we are engaged from start to finish. The two locations, London and Malta, are denoted with two boxes covered in stickers that Paris and Rizzo, respectively, sit on – a wonderfully creative choice!
The definition of the word “Sisyphean” is “denoting or relating to a task that can never be completed”. So if it is impossible to achieve a quick fix for our problems, then how ever can we cope with them? This play provides us with the answers. We need our loved ones to video call, visit, fight, and reminisce with. We need to sit for 75 minutes and watch these two marvellous actors deliver us a story of love and sacrifice. Sisyphean Quick Fix is a play that will stay with you, always. Kudos to all involved!
Sisyphean Quick Fix runs at Riverside Studios 18 March – 6 April,