Marry Me A Little offers a bittersweet insight into modern single life set amongst the backdrop of apartment living and the brief, shining moments of hope and love that come with online dating, writes Holly Hazlewood.
Directed by Jarrad West, the production which opened on June 15 and runs until June 24, features music and lyrics from American composer Stephen Sodenhim, who is known for his contributions to West Side Story and A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum.
The story follows two lonely singles, played by Hannah Lance and Alexander Unikowski, on a Saturday night as they pine for a partner, without knowing the person of their dreams lives only a floor away.
The dialogue-free musical production sees the twosome circle each on a unique setting, which acts as both of their living environments, as if a metaphor for how close, yet how far they are away from finding the love they are so desperately are looking for.
Lance and Unikowski early on show off the power of their respective voices and their harmonies create a beautiful story around their shared experiences of modern singledom.
The sell-out crowd on opening night was left in stitches by Lance’s comedic timing and use of props as she mentally created the ideal partner for her.
An interesting interaction saw Unikowski give Lance a bouquet of flowers in a rare interaction between the characters in the shared space of their combined living rooms, as if the pair were linked by a portal, giving them a glimpse into the life they yearn for.
Unikowski’s boyish charm carries over well with the crowd which is perfectly on show as the pair combine for a duet about how they could potentially have a first date while playing golf, despite the characters seemingly having no idea how to play the sport.
In the second act, the two leads have a chance encounter in the real world while both undertaking the mundane task of taking out the garbage and the awkward, shy but real connection in the moment is an accurate reflection of sometimes chance encounters and the spark felt when you happen to meet a stranger who just has something special about them.
Lance’s character appears to listen her heart and follows up meeting the mysterious man, with a late-night knock at his apartment a potential sliding doors moment for the rest of their lives.
Will the pair up together or does the story go the way so often in modern romances? Head along to the ACT Hub in Kingston to find out.
