Sunsets – Omnibus Theatre, London

An exploration of rom-coms, podcasts and our relationship to fantasy and reality, Sunsets builds up to its own ‘grand gesture’ without straying into cliché.

Sunsets

A quick disclaimer: I saw a preview of Sunsets so this is a review but without the rating – more of an encouragement to go see it in Edinburgh!

It’s nice when a piece of theatre takes me by surprise! I managed to catch Sunsets last night at the Omnibus Theatre in Clapham, on its way to the Edinburgh Fringe. A one-woman show written by and starring Georgie Grier, Sunsets plays with tropes from rom-coms and podcasts to create something refreshingly unexpected.

This is one of those reviews where I’m going to try not to give too much away, because if you’re reading this hopefully you’re planning to see it. But I will give you a broad outline. Grier plays Denver, host of the Sunsets podcast. She’s doing something a bit special for the final episode, and we are her live studio audience. The product of a film marketing agency, the podcast exists for two purposes: plugging paid partnerships, and attempting to engineer a rom-com worthy love story between Denver and her childhood sweetheart.

Only things are never that simple. And while being in the audience for a podcast recording means plenty of ‘exclusive content’, it also means bearing witness when things don’t go so well. And very quickly things start to fall apart for Denver. A few technical hiccups. A best friend missing in action. And what will the ending, the ‘grand gesture’, be?

Rom-Coms: Fantasy Vs. Reality

Sunsets isn’t the only satirical take on rom-coms, but it does do it quite well. Grier’s monologue is packed full of references to all the films many of us grew up with. Watching them together was an important part of her childhood, and she has imbibed their messages. Don’t we all want our ‘meet cute’? Our arc of trials and tribulations followed by redemption? Rom-coms, with their happy ever after endings, are a place of comfort and retreat.

The podcast lens helps to skewer these tropes. Just as the Sunsets podcast is a cynical attempt to sell more bus trips and dog food, rom-coms are cynical products of the film industry, selling (mostly) women an unattainable, unrealistic, walking off into the sunset moment. It also gives a nice structure to the show, a reason for Denver to be telling us all about her job, her budding relationship with the boy next door, her family. At times the energy is a little too frenetic as Denver tells her story while attending to her podcast, meaning some of the jokes and film references flash by in the blink of an eye, but it’s definitely a clever framework on which to hang a fringe play.

Final Thoughts

The other thing Grier does brilliantly, which you will realise at the end just as I did, is foreshadow an ending without giving anything away. I had no idea when the hour began where we would end up, and for someone who sees as much theatre as I do this is a great feeling! Kudos to Grier for turning an already layered script into something you will replay over and over as you catch more details you didn’t notice at first.

Grier is an immediately likeable actor, building a rapport quickly with her podcast audience while at the same time conveying nerves and vulnerability. We laugh along with her at the worlds of rom-coms and podcasts, topics most of us can relate to in some way. It’s an accessible, witty and ultimately challenging piece of theatre.

There’s only one more preview performance at the Omnibus Theatre (and it’s tonight so be quick). Otherwise you can catch it at the Edinburgh Fringe from 2nd – 27th August at 12.20pm. Tickets available via Gilded Balloon.

Sunsets on at Omnibus Theatre on 21 July only, then at the Edinburgh Fringe from 2-27 August