SHE CAME IN THE DOOR (Aurora Theatre)****

  

By Cal

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bZUeT-jr7Y

Available until: Unknown

I don’t know anyone who was in the exact situation of the characters in She Came in at the Door. But a lot of us came quite close to it and it did cross my mind to wonder what you’d do if you were in that situation so it’s very interesting to see a play about it.

Josh and Max are a fairly new (m/f) couple who were introduced by their mutual friend, Bailey. When the country went into lockdown, they were faced with a choice. Either they remained in their own homes and only met occasionally, outdoors and at a distance. Or they moved in together, allowing their relationship to continue.

I wonder how many couples have had to make this decision – and how many have regretted the decision they made.

Josh and Max chose to move in with each other and right now, it’s difficult. They’re still getting to know each other in lots of ways and the pandemic situation doesn’t exactly help the tension. They choose to speak to a friend about it – the same friend.

Barbara Blatner’s insightfully-observed play isn’t written entirely in chronological order. It switches back between Max and Josh’s Zoom conversations with Bailey, but it’s surprisingly clear. It’s difficult not to sympathise with Bryan Nee’s tense Josh – although many might feel he goes over the top, there are so many people who feel as he does. Yuyu Kitamura shows Max’s attempts at positivity without making the character annoying. Amiya Nagpal is the long-suffering Bailey, the kind friend caught in the middle – but there’s more to her than that. Faith Lawson’s subtle direction gives additional information about the characters which I didn’t notice at first, but a lot of things hit me at the end.

A very interesting and clever play.