Fringe Review: WE HAD FUN, Old Lab at Summerhall
Photo credit: Megan Goldsman
We Had Fun is a world premiere play that follows friends (or perhaps they're something more?) Oscar and Ela as they try to understand what really happened and who did what after a messy night out. Accusations abound, the truth seems hazy and it looks like the relationship could be on the rocks. But what do you do when you're still in love with the person you feel wronged you?
This new play is written by Emmeline Hartley and Jack Mullings, and it is a remarkable debut from the duo. They have created two incredibly complex characters, neither fully likeable or fully detestable. Flashbacks are used effectively so we can see exactly how things played out on the night in question. Directed by Carrie-Anne Ingrouille, the play moves at a great pace. Ingrouille knows when to keep things snappy and when to let things sit and sink it. She also uses movement remarkably well, bringing to life moments from the past without solely relying on naturalistic flashbacks. Benjamin Vetluzhskikh’s lighting transports us in time and location effortlessly.
The show features some very intimate scenes so credit must go to intimacy director Rose Ryan for making these look real whilst ensuring the actors are safe and comfortable.
Hartley and Mullings, as well as writing the piece, play the central characters of Ela and Oscar. Their performances are outstanding - real star turns. They give moving, emotionally charged performances that are fully believable. Their chemistry, likewise, is also very believable. The other two cast members Emma Houston and Tessa Redman also give strong performances - credible in the naturalistic scenes, fleshing out Ela and Oscar's lives beyond the eventful evening, whilst having exceptional control of their bodies in the stylised sequences.
We Had Fun is certainly not for the faint hearted but it is an incredibly important and nuanced exploration of sexual relationships. We can't wait to see what's next for this play as well as Emmeline Hartley and Jack Mullings.
****** Five stars
Reviewed by: Jacob Bush