“We’re just poor things that don’t know how to love. We’re takers, users, bastards, aresholes.”
It is a difficult topic to grasp, love. Where does it come from, what encourages it, what allows it to grow, and what kills it? Is being “born of the same shit” and wading through it together enough… or should we be striving for more than the cyclical, toxic nature of an abusive yet familiar love? It’s hard to know, whether love grows from the “same shit” or not, but Megan Sampson’s stage play, Love, shown at the Old Fitz Theatre in Woolloomooloo, replicates the desperation, yearning, and hurt of abusive love excruciatingly well. It is painfully easy to be angry at each of the three characters, but just as easy to feel sorry for them. They tug on your heart strings, your chest aches with misplaced hope, and everything hurts, all at once.
Our three characters — Annie, played by the brilliant Izzy Williams; Tanya, played by the captivating Georgia-Paige Theodos; and Lorenzo, played by the fascinating Rhys Johnson — know hardship like it is their mother tongue. It is all that is familiar to them. They repeat the cycle of hurt that has been inflicted onto them, they are trapped in the cycle of drugs, incarceration, and abuse, and they try to love each other through it all, but miss the mark by miles every time.
The actors themselves are painfully brilliant at their roles. There was not a moment of pain experienced by the characters that wasn’t felt by the audience. Often, they would keep their eyes on the audience during monologues — not directly addressing us, but rather subtly reminding us that we are not exempt from feeling the same hurt. In the opening scene, Tanya’s presence was captivating and terrifying, she entirely pulled the watchers into her manipulation and left them feeling confused, wary, and yearning for more.
The characters were fleshed out remarkably. The love triangle between the three did not feel superficial or cliche, but rather metaphorical for all the layers of hurt the three were feeling. Tanya is in love with Annie, and Annie is in love with Tanya. But then, there is Lorenzo, who Annie is also in love with, who might love Annie, but loves his vices more.
“The moment I saw you I knew you could love me, I just knew it, that you could really love me and I could love you.”
The thing about Annie is that it’s not about who she loves, but the fact that she loves and is loved. Annie is in love with love itself, no matter how detrimental, no matter how close to the edge it takes her. She is the seemingly naive, soft-hearted, submissive one of the three — her desire to be loved controls her and her lovers do not hesitate to take advantage of this.
Tanya does love Annie, but in the most twisted way; she is possessive, manipulative, unkind in her kindness. There were many moments through the show where my hope for her expanded and, again, retracted as she showed Annie just how much she loved and cared for her before tearing the rug from beneath her again.
And Lorenzo. What I feel towards Lorenzo is a mixture of pity and hatred. I would like to applaud Rhys Johnson for playing a character who is so hateful, and yet humanizing him nonetheless. Lorenzo’s desire for substances pushes him to the end of his affections towards Annie and turns him ugly — he is a user in all senses of the word.
I will note (and it may be the only note that I have) that there was a lot of (like, so much) sex. I wouldn’t recommend taking your older sister with you, like I did. A content warning would have been appreciated.
Love was the winner of the 2006 AWGIE for the Best Stage Play and the 2003 Wal Cherry Award for best Australian play. The entire production undoubtedly deserves the recognition it is receiving.
Content warning: this show represents themes of abuse and violence, substance abuse, and sexual content.
‘Love’ is showing at Old Fitz Theatre until 21st March.
