Lovelock’s Thermodrama, surprisingly not found in Summerhall’s latest sauna installation, is a vibrant three-hander where things go to boiling point just a little too quickly. And when things do get a little too steamy, things then boil over.
Spanning relationship drama, body image and mental visualisations, this production is not thin on content. Half-sisters Soph and Jen (Camilla Anvar and Aiyana Bartlett) confront their struggles in the heat of the sauna. They are matched in a social-experiment-style narrative with brash and fast gym lad Pete (played by Matty Loane), who remains a stern and undefinable character alongside the girls. A lot happens in an hour, but maybe a little too much between these characters. Events become slightly unbelievable and slightly too extraordinary as we bustle through this drama.
There are sparks of greatness which come from this production. A plastic red screen provides an impending backdrop and the atmosphere intensifies easily through tension over possible boyfriends, alongside a large, quickly growing crush which emerges between Pete and Soph. Things quickly become quite cutthroat and awkward between characters, as a place of relaxation turns to a place of horror. The writing does well when it throws humour into the mix and characters make off-the-cuff, fast remarks about petty relationship squabbles, especially the two half-sisters.
The naturalism is where all this falls short. Due to the modern, brief style of writing, with overlapping dialogue and flurries of emotional speeches, things all start to feel a little stilted. Conversation flows, and it is all highly captivating, but there are moments of awkwardness as the production develops. It feels as if this play will eventually take off and reach boiling point, but it just never really does. The direction is good, and there is always a nice back and forth between characters, though the way moments of seriousness are posed by the writer is frustrating.
And it’s a fearless script, and it is key to appreciate its boldness. A man comes running in during the final third of the production claiming to have had a car crash with another character. A scene of domestic, petty struggle quickly becomes Greek tragedy-esque. Suddenly, without enough grounding or foreboding, the characters have become magically intertwined. A bike crash provides the flames for this production and then suddenly, somehow, everybody is connected in some terrifying web, somebody is responsible for the bike crash, and everyone is implicated, all a little too randomly.
And thus, things remain chaotic, and all a bit on the clashy side. The script tries at so many points to break through but unfortunately never quite performs this task.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
