First love can be sweet, but it can also come with troubles. The play let me know if you feel something, written by Amber Spooner and directed by Gina Luker Edwards, takes the audience into the relationship of two high school students, using a combination of monologue and dialogue to give a direct look into their internal state of mind about the relationship.
Sixteen-year-old Emma falls in love with her classmate Joseph, who feels the same way about her. Naturally, the two establish a relationship. However, being fond of each other does not mean there would be no conflicts between the two. Emma and Joseph are different in many ways. Emma is introverted and doesn’t want people to pay attention to their relationship, while Joseph is used to showing his feelings for Emma in front of his classmates and expects her to have the same style of behaviour. Emma needs her own space and time even in a relationship, but Joseph wants the two to be together often. The most crucial thing is that Joseph is eager to have sex with Emma, but she is not yet ready for it.
The cast is on stage before the story officially begins, with Dominic Fike’s Misses playing on a loop, bringing a hint of melancholy. The stage is drenched in blue lights. Emma sits alone on a bench as if waiting for someone who isn’t going to show up, whilst Joseph has his back to her, kicking a football against the wall over and over again. There is no communication between the two, hinting at the impending problems in their relationship.
Both performers have a very adolescent vibe which makes the relationship look even more youthful. Khyati Bhardwaj’s Emma is intelligent and independent. Although her feelings are introverted, one can tell that she likes Joseph a lot, even a little more than Joseph’s feelings for her. It’s always endearing when she smiles because of Joseph. Zachary Matcham’s Joseph is very innocent and immature and always thinks very simply, but he is not an outright terrible person, which keeps him from being utterly annoying to the audience and makes it easier to care about the two of them. Unfortunately, because of his nerves, Matcham didn’t manage to deliver the performance as well as he could have. There were moments when the audience was distracted from the scenario and became concerned about the state of the actor himself.
Although the story is not complicated, it does invite people to follow the characters’ states. However, while the storyline is fairly complete, it is easy for the viewer to speculate on the characters’ behaviours. While there is a willingness to passively learn about their experiences, there is little urgency to find out what happens to them next. If more likable aspects of the characters or sweet moments between them were revealed, viewers would be more likely to pay attention to their relationship and feel sorry for them while feeling bad for Emma. At the moment, Let Me Know If You Feel Something isn’t exactly a well-developed production, but more of a reveal of what can go wrong and what one should be aware of in a teenage relationship. The educational aspect of the production is stronger than having the audience want to keep coming back to the story itself.
★★★☆☆ (3*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography provided by Production
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