Give Her My Love | Baron's Court Theatre

Give Her My Love, written by Jake Hart and directed by Sorcha Harris, sheds light on the good, the bad and the ugly of loving the wrong person too much. Taking a unique approach to look at the relationship between the incompatible Ava and Dodi, the play never shies away from the heartbreak with a brutal honesty that is rarely captured so well. 

The play follows Dodi (Aoife Morgan Jones) and Ava (Dión Di Maio) in a non-linear timeline as the couple's already delicate relationship becomes more and more frayed before reaching an unresolvable resolution. Hart's unique structure of monologues and the occasional dialogue initially hinders the piecing together of this timeline, with audiences being introduced to a new and unseen character from the future before discovering establishing the two protagonists. Audiences are immediately introduced into a monologue by Dodi as she recounts the painful series of events that leads to their breakup, before the next scene where we meet the couple when they were still together. Following the death of Ava's mother, and a secret relationship, the couple are doomed from the start, yet audiences are still invested in the relationship due to the strength of the writing and the two strong performers. 

Hart's writing is intelligent and insightful, as both characters are emotionally aware of their needs, wants and most importantly, their flaws. This allows the play to side step the inherent predictable emotional arcs with a more bold introspection. Ava's guilty defensive to Dodi and yet complete transparency with the audience as she grapples with who she is and her how her fear of being alone clouds her actions, makes for a particular interesting character. Likewise, Dodi's initial naivety and romantic nature is slowly sullied with suspicion and betrayal, making the lingering effects an tough obstacle in the future. The nature of the monologues lifts the curtains into the minds of the two women, with an unfiltered admittance to their thoughts and feelings. The writing tiptoes on the line of poetic prose and storytelling as they occasionally recount one sided dialogue as they revisit a memory. For a play to have two characters providing a back to back monologue, giving audiences a parallelled dual perspective, is a clever concept and makes the play feel more exciting and unique. 

Whilst the structure and quality of writing itself is impressive, this unfortunately is also the downfall of the play. With a majority of the play being narrated by one performer, the impact of the plot twists or emotional revelations don't feel earnest. Perhaps if these reflections and attempts to explain and understand one's emotions came after the audiences experienced the secrets in real-time, it would have felt more striking. As of now, the play both tells us what is happening, and then repeats itself by showing us what is happening. 

This, however, does not in any way diminish the performances themselves. Morgan Jones is utterly delightful in the role of Dodi, with a wide eyed and loving personality that wins audience over instantly. Morgan Jones' passion and energy as she really lets the words come alive through her performance helps Dodi come alive, with a really sweet performance. Morgan Jones displays a versatility as she stares adoringly as Ava, before unleashing a withering scorn only moments later, with a delivery that feels just as impressive.  

Di Maio as Ava approaches the text with an entirely different style, preferring to remain aloof and subdued. It's a risky move given that Ava is already painted as the perpetrator from the start, and yet this creative choice proves itself to be the right approach. Di Maio's subtle performance, often reacting with her eyebrows or a groan of disapproval before launching into her own monologues helps cement her character motives well. Di Maio also brings a wonderful emotional depth to the play, particularly towards the end when she confesses her fears and let's the realisation of her mother's passing close in on her. 

Leo Bacica's lighting design is quite harsh, causing Morgan Jones and Di Maio to be doused in the romantic spotlight of pink and red amongst the usual white. This does well to not only romanticise the past, but creates a dramatic tension in their monologues. Freddie Lewis' sound design works particularly well during scene transitions, as the couple steal a fleeting moments of domestic bliss together in the coloured lights (both operated by David Hebb). Ciara Pidgeon as stage manager has managed to transform the intimate stage into a multi-functional one. Boxes are used to create both a comfy looking bed, table and chairs and even a toilet cubicle. The back wall is covered with a beautiful white lace and flowery cloth, adorned with fairy lights that does fit in well with the theme. However, it were the dead and dried flower bouquets that hung upside from the ceiling that really tied it all together. 

Give Her My Love is a welcome debut play that looks at a crumbling romantic relationship from two simultaneous perspectives, in the past, present and future. Hart's ambitious attempts pay off creating a play that is highly enjoyable and inclusive.

Give Her My Love is currently playing at the Baron's Court Theatre until 14th March 2026 - tickets and more information can be found here.

★★★☆☆ (3*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Anna Clare Photography