📍Southwark Playhouse, London

⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐

TW: Discussion of suicide; depression

Double Act follows an unnamed protagonist, a 28 year old Londoner, as he sets out on pursuit of a day he has to get right. A data analyst who wishes to be something more, but instead feels alone and without purpose, we watch on as he ventures towards the coast, on his self-appointed very last day. This young man’s inner monologue is split into two sides, sometimes at war, and sometimes encouraging or supporting each other. This examination of a man on the edge is equal parts hilarious and profoundly heartbreaking.

The show begins with a short clowning routine as the cast of two take to the small stage, actors Nick Hyde and Oliver Maynard’s physical comedy talents on full display. The atmosphere is lighthearted and quirky as the action begins with our protagonist walking purposefully through North London, encountering an old acquaintance who it seems has become an insufferable finance-bro; a hilarious exchange. As the day goes on, however, what begins as light hearted comedy, becomes something much more dark and profound as it becomes clear how he plans to end his day.

Nick Hyde’s two-man play Double Act is a cleverly executed exploration of a man struggling under the weight of life, engineering an important and stirring insight into men’s mental health. Framed as a piece of physical comedy, the first half is full of slick moments of clowning between actors Hyde and Maynard as they represent the same man’s internal conversation with himself. Both actors multi-role, seamlessly transitioning into characters that our protagonist meets along his journey. Even from the outset, there is an ominous undertone through the humorous interactions, and it becomes clear that this man is not okay. The tonal shift as we are invited to see the true depths of his struggles is managed expertly by director Jef Hall-Flavin, and the second half of the play suddenly has you wiping away tears.

I found the concept extremely clever. The idea of personifying the conversations we have in our mind, into two almost-separate identities allowed the audience to access and process the heavy topics of mental health, evoking a deep empathy for this man’s struggles. At a time where men’s mental health is in crisis and still carries an unnecessary stigma, works like this penetrate and open up important conversations. The point is never laboured or didactic; this is an individual story; a lived experience and a dark insight into the depths of his mind. The final scene, where the two sides of the mind battle it out, hurling stinging insults at each other, is harrowing to watch: he is coming apart at the seams, his mind is at war, and he is drowning in the most awful thoughts one could imagine. We are powerless as we watch, but the effects of this stay with you long after the curtain call.

Nick Hyde and Oliver Maynard are true masters of their craft; they have the confident ease of a comedy double act and their electric chemistry on stage helps the show’s consistent pace and rhythm. The way that they segue in and out of heightened cameo characters and into more naturalistic and subtle character choices is utterly impressive. There are moments of laugh-out-loud comedy scattered throughout (for example, a routine wherein both actors attempt to make a can of 7Up go flat), in between tender and poignant duologues. A particular highlight was a lengthy scene between the man and his ex girlfriend, played with nuance by Maynard, his subtle but overwhelming vocal and physical changes completely drawing us in to the layers of subtext in the failed relationship between them. Another highlight towards the end came upon a train to Eastbourne, at a point where it is now clear that our protagonist plans to end his life, the tension palpable in the small theatre. Hyde’s turn as a middle-aged Scottish woman who engages the protagonist in earnest conversation was a beautiful and heart-felt moment, emphasising the good in this world and the significance of a small act of kindness.

Double Act greatly benefits from the intimate space of Southwark Playhouse, wrapping the audience in it’s grips as we plunge into the mind of the unnamed protagonist. It is a profound piece, weaving together comedy with something much more poignant and urgent. A perfect example of the power of theatre.

🎟️Double Act plays until the 5th April at the Southwark Playhouse

Tickets and information: https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/double-act/