The Inseparables | Finborough Theatre

Simone de Beauvoir’s semi-autobiographical novella The Inseparables was never published in her lifetime amid fears that it was too intimate and for fear of disapproval from her lover Jean-Paul Sartre. The novella only saw the light of day in 2020 when her daughter Sylvie le Bon de Beauvoir chose to publish it along with other unpublished works. Now, the story of her intimate girlhood friendship with Elisabeth ‘Zaza’ Lacoin comes to the stage for the first time, in an adaptation by Grace Joy Howarth at the Finborough Theatre. 

The play is split into two acts, the first covering the girls’ childhood and the second their adult years. Sylvie (Ayesha Ostler), the representation of de Beauvoir, narrates the tale, beginning with Andrée Gallard’s (Lara Manela) arrival at her school. Kept out of school for a year due to an accident, Andrée is clever, talented and dazzling and Sylvie is infatuated. The play tales the pair through their teenage and young adult years in Paris between 1917-1929, as they grapple with heartbreak, faith, and parental and societal expectations.

Sylvie loses her faith and is both freed and obligated to become a ‘career woman’ as her father loses his fortune, while Andrée, initially bright and free-spirited, remains devout but is increasingly stifled by the demands of her faith, her mother (Caroline Trowbridge) and her position in society. 

The Inseparables is beautifully written, cutting between Sylvie’s narration and scenes between the two girls and side characters including Andrée’s loving but overbearing mother and her teenage lover Bernard and would-be fiancé Pascal (both portrayed by Alexandre Costet-Barmada). 

It starts strongly and there are fine performances throughout, but the two girls never seem as inseparable as the title suggests. Sylvie’s obsession with Andrée in the early part of the play is palpable, with an excellent performance by Ostler, particularly in a scene in which Sylvie exclaims that if Andrée were to die she would simply lie down and die too. Direction from Anastasia Bunce and movement direction from Daniela Poch are inspired here, and a number of scenes in which Andrée, spotlighted (lighting design by Abraham Walkling-Lea), dances as Sylvie looks on.

Hazel Poole Zane’s set design is simple but effective, with a period-typical chaise and a convertible wooden bench which becomes at various points during the production a church pew, a train car and a carriage, among others. Video designed by Jessica Brauner is also used to provide context in a story which frequently changes scene, a challenging ask for a small production. Her backdrop for the church scenes, with sound design by Flick Isaac-Chilton, is particularly atmospheric. 

As Sylvie and Andrée drift apart further as they move into their adult years, the story becomes less emotionally gripping even as Andrée’s struggles heighten. The force of Sylvie’s obsession behind the narration is lost and it takes some of the power out of the climax of the story. 

Beautifully crafted but somewhat lacking in emotional resonance, The Inseparables fails to add up to the sum of its more impressive parts. However, it is nonetheless a good opportunity to see Simone de Beauvoir’s lost work brought to life. 

The Inseparables runs at the Finborough Theatre until 10th May.

Tickets and More Information

★★★☆☆ (3*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Stuart Ray