Every couple at the beginning of a relationship thinks they’re different from everyone else. Though every other couple seems to have their ups and downs, the couple in Juniper and Jules are touchingly confident that they have it figured out. What do you think happens next?
Juliet (Jules) is a primary school teacher who meets Juniper in a nightclub, even though she’s never been with a woman before. Their relationship starts off passionate and intense, but soon they find obstacles to their happiness. Initially, Jules finds Juniper stifling and controlling, but finds ways to hurt Juniper right back.
Every scene features only Juniper and Jules, and is either an intimate snapshot of them talking, usually in the bedroom, or a text message conversation acted out between the two of them. By hyper-analysing this one relationship, we gain fascinating insights into sexuality, ethical non-monogamy, and relationships themselves. The play challenges us to question how to reconcile relationships with maintaining autonomy, excitement, and a feeling of freedom.
Such a play can only work if we find a way into these characters, but the characters of Juniper and Jules are so lifelike and fully realised. Nothing extraordinary happens in the story – it does feel like a real relationship is playing out in front of you, but it’s gripping because you feel that you know and care about these people. There are parts of the characters’ histories and personalities that remain unanswered, but given that these stay a mystery between the two characters, of course they stay a mystery to us.
Both actors are clearly comfortable with the material and display a deep understanding of it, bringing out the funny moments in scenes of conflict and darkness, and the flickers of unease in the funnier, seemingly light-hearted moments. Juniper and Jules is a great play that reveals so much about relationships, both queer and straight, and leaves you, as it does the characters, with some difficult questions to answer.
