Playwright Tom Foreman and theatre company ThickSkin have enjoyed considerable success at the Edinburgh Fringe with Boiler Room Six, which returns this year alongside new play Stay a Little Longer at Pleasance Courtyard’s Cellar. Unfortunately, while there is plenty of potential in Foreman’s latest work, it never quite reaches the heights of its predecessor.
The play centres on a couple known simply as Him and Her, played by Charlie Sheepshanks and Rachel Nicholson. We learn they first met at university when he was drinking from someone else’s shoe, a charming detail that immediately establishes the warmth and affection between them. Years later, she is about to qualify as an architect, he is on the verge of a major career breakthrough, and their wedding is just three months away.
While Her is determined to finalise every last detail of the big day, Him knows there is a far more important conversation they need to have.
That conversation forms the central premise of the play, although it takes a surprisingly long time to arrive there. By the halfway point, most of the audience will likely have worked out where the story is heading. Until then, much of the first half is devoted to discussions about wedding planning, relationships and future aspirations. While these exchanges help establish the characters, they often feel repetitive and lack the dramatic momentum needed to sustain interest.
Once the play reaches its emotional core, however, things begin to improve considerably. The script starts to engage with themes of grief, loss and baby loss with greater depth and sensitivity, and the previously meandering conversations suddenly carry genuine weight. It is here that Foreman’s writing becomes far more compelling, demonstrating an ability to explore difficult subjects with honesty and compassion.
Both Nicholson and Sheepshanks deliver grounded and believable performances, creating a couple that feels authentic even when the script occasionally struggles for focus. Their chemistry is convincing, and both work hard to navigate some uneven pacing and dialogue. The emotional moments land largely because of their commitment to the material.
The frustration with Stay a Little Longer is that there is clearly a stronger play lurking beneath the surface. The themes it explores are powerful, relevant and deeply human, but it takes too long to get to them. A tighter first half and greater urgency would go a long way towards strengthening the piece.
As it stands, Stay a Little Longer is an earnest and thoughtful drama with moments of real emotional impact, but one that never quite fulfils its considerable promise.
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