Quarter Life Crisis – Bridge Theatre, London (last chance to see)

A review of Quarter Life Crisis at the Bridge Theatre. On the one hand it’s great to see shows like this in major London theatres, but on the other hand I think a more intimate setting probably brings the most out of this particular monologue.

Nicholas Hytner Brings New Writers to the Bridge

Quarter Life Crisis, like An Evening with an Immigrant which is also part of the rep season at the Bridge Theatre, is a work that has been staged elsewhere in the last couple of years. Playwright Yolanda Mercy, who also plays 26-year-old Alicia Adewale in the monologue, wrote and published it back in 2017. It has been previously staged at the Edinburgh Fringe, in London, Nigeria, and has been adapted for radio. So it’s well-practiced material, and the production is slick and fun. There are great projections onto screens, including a DJ that my friend and I thought for ages was really there. We can also share in incoming messages, calls and notifications to Alicia’s phone as they impact the action. It was maybe the best use of the space that I’ve seen in the many Bridge productions I’ve now been to since lockdown.

What is Adult Life, Anyway?

At the same time though, I thought there was something in the staging of this particular monologue in this particular theatre that didn’t quite bring out its full potential. Quarter Life Crisis is all about Alicia, about to turn 26 and not sure when her adult life begins. There are many potential elements that signify the adulthood of others and might be what will push her over this threshold too – is it settling down like her cousin? Getting a real job rather than another in a series of zero-hours contracts? Resetting her relationship with her father? Abandoning the idea of holding a Young Person’s Railcard? Alicia shares all of these thoughts with the audience while juggling family dynamics, guys and the trials and tribulations of daily life. On occasion she gets the audience to weigh in as well.

The trouble for me is that I could see it really popping in a smaller theatre; slightlier boozier patrons up for a fun night, and just closer proximity than what is currently possible. With everyone spaced out and behaving themselves, it took a lot of Mercy’s energy to replace a normal audience buzz. She has a great presence and way of connecting with the audience so more or less pulled this off, don’t get me wrong! But the difficulty of the current situation for this play is a thought that my theatre-going companion also shared.

Final Thoughts

All in all though I think this work shows great potential. There were some threads in Quarter Life Crisis which could have been a bit more developed. The narrative of her family history and how this plays into her present, for example. The monologue was at its best when it lost its ‘theatrical’ turn of phrase and was more authentic; my favourite bits were when Mercy was playing off the audience and reacting to her ‘phone’. Nonetheless, the evening was great fun, and is such a good chance to see relatively new writing in a different setting. I look forward to seeing what else Mercy has in store for us!

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3/5

Quarter Life Crisis until 17 October 2020