Love, Love, Love Tickets

Love, Love, Love is best described in three words - elegant, expressive, and compelling. The writer, Michael Bartlett, is an accomplished English playwright with over 30 major productions to his name. He is particularly well-recognised for works such as My Child, which was performed at the prestigious Royal Court Theatre in 2007, and Artefacts, which was performed at the Bush Theatre a year later. He won the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre in 2010, but he didn’t stop there. He was nominated for the 2013 BAFTA award for ‘Breakthrough Talent’ and subsequently went on to win the 2015 Olivier Award as well.

In Love, Love, Love Bartlett leaves no stone unturned as he shreds through the superfluous condescension, naivety, and narcissism of the baby-boomer generation. Since the play approximately spans a 40-year period, the nuances of successive decades in the 20th and 21st centuries are highlighted and contrasted. It makes deft use of deep characterisation and dark humour to express emotional truths. This masterpiece is directed by the experienced Rachel O’Riordan, the resident artistic director at the Lyric Hammersmith theatre in London.

The Story

On one festive night in 1967, when the world of television morphed from black and white to technicolour with a jubilant Beatles’ performance, Sandra and Kenneth fall in love. They are both Oxford undergraduates who are high on drugs and hormones. Although Sandra is dating Henry, she throws caution to the wind and seduces his younger brother Kenneth.

Decades pass, and the year is 1990; Sandra and Kenneth are married with two teenage children. Their marriage is falling apart, and the two are completely negligent of their children’s welfare. A few years later, the two are divorced and barely bothered by the fact that they are not together anymore.

When their daughter Rose thunders “You didn’t change the world, you bought it.” during a family reunion in the third act of the play, the narrative and its underlying themes culminate in a powerful and unforgettable climax. What are the consequences of irresponsible parenting and selfishness? How do two generations that are thirty years apart perceive each other?

Good for

Lovers of Family Drama | Fans of Mike Bartlett | Adult Audiences

Critics Reviews

“Wow, this one packs a punch.”
– Telegraph

“Together the ensemble joins to create one of the most indelibly and viciously failed families to grace the contemporary stage.”
– The Guardian