Theatre By Hamartia Theatre Black Flamingo February 19
I’m pretty well versed in the art of online dating. In fact, having downloaded and consequently deleted Tinder an awe-inspiring four times, I’d even go as far as to say I’m an expert. As a result of said online dating experience, I walked into It’s Complicated. feeling a little bit self-assured, the way a dedicated student might walk into an exam. As it turns out, I actually had quite a bit to learn about the intricacies of modern love and lust that are so often experienced through an impermeable screen.
Hamartia Theatre’s debut show, It’s Complicated., is, rather ironically, a simple story of two housemates at opposite ends of the dating spectrum, with one character in a serious relationship and the other playing the field (i.e. sleeping with anything with a pulse). By juxtaposing the two approaches to dating embodied by the protagonists, It’s Complicated. is humorously self-aware, honest and isn’t afraid to declare what we all know about Tinder but are perhaps too pious to say out loud (because let’s be honest, it is basically “McDonald’s for sex”, as the narrator of It’s Complicated. unabashedly proclaims).
Tackling club hook-ups, Skype romances and the humble blind date, It’s Complicated. explores the avenues of romance available to us in the 21st century, making for incredibly relatable and familiar viewing. Moving seamlessly from one location to the next and using a total of four stools, a couch and a table, the show is nothing fancy, but it’s a performance that’s very grounded in reality.
The value of a show like this is often overlooked in favour of more nuanced shows that push the boundaries of theatre and make conjectural observations about life and love and sacrifice. Sometimes, it’s just nice to see a grassroots performance that calls it as we all see it. In this sense, It’s Complicated. definitely delivers.
It’s Complicated. runs until the Sunday the 22nd of February. You can find tickets via the Fringe World guide here.