Thank You Dark and VAULT present Without That Certain Thing, a darkly comic mystery inspired by 1940s film noir, 16th century love poetry and modern rom-coms: the tale of a lesbian detective investigating the stalker of a woman she meets when speed-dating. From director Chloe Christian (English National Opera, Finborough, New Diorama) and writer Rory Platt (Southwark Playhouse, Theatre503)
‘She was not my type. Awkward. Distracted. Badly Dressed. Straight. She had nothing really. Just that hook….’
When ex-private investigator Emery Sullivan meets the conspicuously straight Madeleine at an LGB speed-dating night, sparks don’t exactly fly. But when Madeleine reveals she’s being stalked by a mysterious stranger called Swann, Sullivan is hooked – and agrees to take the case. She starts following Madeleine across London as a way of observing Swann: finding out who he is, what he wants, and what he might be capable of. And when he mistakes her for a rival for Madeleine’s affections, Sullivan decides to play along – letting herself be drawn into a tangle of deceit and obsession…
Inspired by 1940s film noir, 16th century love poetry and modern-day rom-coms, Without That Certain Thing is a darkly comic mystery about desire, obsession, objectification, misogyny, narrative control, and pedalos. With witty, fast paced dialogue and playful, kinetic staging, it explores where our ideas about love and romance come from – and where they might lead.
Without That Certain Thing is at VAULT Festival 27th February to 3rd March 2019.
