This Is Not About Me | Soho Theatre

A budding new playwright is hard at work upstairs at the Soho Theatre, crafting her play about a fluctuating relationship and spilling her experiences out onto the stage. The final draft of This Is Not About Me has been unleashed onto the stage and it is a play that begs to be received in all its complicated glory.

Crafting a play that contradicts itself and unravels the main characters flaws, fears and secrets right in front of her in a meta theatrical marvel is no easy feat, yet Hannah Caplan soars to this height. Caplan has crafted an entangled, spunky modern piece that uses its intelligent humor to address how far the lines of reality can reach when trying to mirror life within theatre. The play is self aware and full of modern authenticity with a clever meta theatrical thread tying everything together.

Following Grace and Elis' relationship, we watch this thread unravel and witness Grace being forced to adress uncomfortable truths about herself and their relationships no matter how bad she believes these truths may be within the artistic confines of a play. Caplan's ability to weave this mix of vulnerability and narcissism throughout the piece is genius and what really makes This Is Not About Me stand out with the modern theatre scene.

Theatrical conventions are dissed and debated throughout both the script and the production itself, and Douglas Clarke Wood's direction encapsulates this approach perfectly. Paper mache heads and miniature figurines (created by Puppet Master Ruby Boswell-Green) are used to facilitate sex scenes and vulnerable conversations during the piece which lands as a stroke of genius. Projection and film is also used in a refreshingly clever way thanks to Geneve Chus' slideshow design, highlighting really interesting differences between what we say and the subtext behind it, one of the plays most exciting themes. Moments where the pair disagree or hide thoughts hit even harder with credit to these unique directional design

elements.

The set is brought together by striking red crochet by Caplan, giving an urgent reminder to the audience of Grace's control over everything in the play, other than herself. The creative elements of this play are a strike of genius.

Amaia Naima Aguinaga and Francis Nunnery bring an undeniable chemistry to Grace and Elis' relationship. Aguinaga as our protagonist, Grace, is a star; she delivers a fantastically complex performance that is not just entertaining but is also deeply complex with clear desire for control and success. Nunnery also delivers an exceptional performance as Eli, bringing the character approachability and reality in a way that is goofy, soft and loveable whilst also really being able to hold his power when needed. Fantastic work from both.

The capability for a 75 minute show to craft so many genius moments that translate the contrast of personal experiences, language and the truth is factually impressive. This Is Not About Me is a clever rom-com that recrafts the genre to address the truth of the human desire for connection and love and how art crosses over with life and our relationships.

Doing so with a striking modern humour and a truly unique theatrical flare makes this play an

undeniable hit. In the words of Eli (or maybe Grace?) ‘the play's a fucking triumph!’ Do not miss this sexy, real fusion of love, life, narcissism and art.

This Is Not About Me plays at the Soho Theatre until 18th April - tickets and more information can be found here.

★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review