Theatrical, entertaining, confronting and absolutely charming.
Wightman and Stark have gone above and beyond with their performance Love Letters to F***bois. It will be showing at Metro Arts until the 18th of August so get in before then, I guarantee it will be worth it. It’s entertaining, interactive, engaging and deeply honest.
Speaking of honesty, I had no clue as to what to expect in this performance. As I walked into the space, however, I stepped into a glowing pink room, with the set pieces on stage covered in sheets and letters on everyone’s seat whilst the classic hit “I Touch Myself” was playing on the speakers, I knew I would be in for a good time.
The lighting changes throughout the show, the costumes and the set design were spot on, and so were Wightman and Stark. The co-creators brought to life their past experiences, memories and moments and shared with the audience a vulnerable part of themselves, wearing their heart on their sleeves, well wedding dresses... but you get the idea.
Whilst the show had a modern day setting, with Tinder and the like, that didn’t stop me from feeling a somewhat nostalgic vibe throughout the performance. Perhaps it was the set or maybe the lighting or even the lovely pianist Jayce McNeill, but that was my first impression, and I liked it. The lighting transitions which were used when Wightman and Stark read letter by letter to the audience, pulled out of a jar one by one, was interesting and theatrical. There were different coloured lighting styles, mood changes and a glamorous couch resting in the middle of it all.
I can’t highlight enough the creativity of it all, the sheer fun as well. There were very imaginative sequences that I didn’t see coming and was delightfully surprised by it all. The show had a certain aesthetic about it, and it knew what it wanted to be. Everything was there that needed to be and it continued strong as it shifted towards the end.
What more could Wightman and Stark pull off? I feel as though they had done it all, and we knew what they meant when they called someone a f***boi, surely. But no, it got interactive alright. In ways you must attend to fully understand why.
It was at this point that I realised the magic of the whole show, and this was the cherry on top. That this is a universal story, hey, everyone’s got one right? And maybe not, maybe the story is just about finding that someone isn’t right for you and that maybe you deserve someone who is. It could be anything, but I realised something important. Everyone’s got a story, what’s yours?
9-18th August, 2018
Metro Arts Theatre
Review by: Joanna Letic
Photo: Nick Bleeker