📍The Glitch Theatre, London

⭐ ⭐ ⭐

I love the small theatrical space that The Glitch has carved out in its basement; this was my second visit in as many months and once again I adored the divey-cum-chic nature of the space, and was impressed by how imaginatively it was utilised by a creative team. Coming in to The Watch, the space is immediately atmospheric, with the two imposing columns which invade the performance space cleverly used to divide locations for the performance – a bus stop, a watchmaker’s, a coffee shop and a wine bar. Intriguing!

The Watch follows Hannah, a young, queer woman living in London and working in a coffee shop. Hannah is plagued by two nuisances in her life: her watch – a beloved gift given by her late grandfather – is broken, and she cannot sleep at night. Instantly a relatable character, it becomes clear that Hannah is adrift in life. The show begins with her musing as to why fully grown men have decidedly dull bedroom décor as she struggles to sleep after an ill advised dalliance with Karl – a frequent café customer. As she endeavours to fix her watch through a visit to Williams and Williams watchmakers, she meets Zoe, the elusive and charming watchmaker and suddenly Hannah must confront truths about herself she has been actively avoiding. Is Zoe the answer to her woes?

Ciana Howlin shines as Hannah. From the moment of ‘lights up’, she oozes charisma and a light-hearted energy through her opening monologue. Howlin plays the light and shade of Hannah impeccably well, and for such an intensely intimate space, adds valuable nuance to the character and grounds her performance in authenticity. We understand Hannah as someone with a tough exterior, endearingly awkward in some situations, and with a complicated inner world. Kate Crisp’s Zoe is a polar opposite – where Howlin’s Hannah is flighty, Crisp’s Zoe exudes a tranquil energy. It is no wonder that Hannah becomes so enthralled with watchmaker Zoe; Crisp’s velvet tones and cool, aloof demeanour counter Hannah perfectly and draws us in. Together, their chemistry is electric on stage. Director Merle Wheldon uses the space well. Staged in-the-round, the audience are invited in on the action and the pace stays lively thanks to Wheldon’s imaginative interpretation.

There are countless moments of comedy throughout the piece, and it is here that the script really soars. However, the issue for me was that it seemed to suffer from a lack of identity; various themes and objects of symbolism were introduced but often left underdeveloped. Perhaps the most  complex trait to Hannah was her queerness – several times she makes mention of her attraction to both men and woman, and in a moment of emotional vulnerability admits that she believes she killed her grandfather: he had a heart attack immediately after she told him of her sexual attraction to women. This immense and assumedly confusing guilt, coupled with the context of her Irish Catholic background, was instantly fascinating and I looked forward to the latter part of the play dissecting this as Hannah inevitably confronts this chip on her shoulder, however it was instead barely mentioned again. Hannah’s lengthy Fleabag-esque monologues had charm, but often neglected to progress the action, or give meaningful insight into her character beyond that she was fairly miserable in her life, but without giving clarity of any ambitions. As a result, despite being beautifully played by Howlin, the character suffered from a lack of depth throughout the piece.

The creative team for The Watch are clearly passionate about telling female-led stories, and indeed it was utterly refreshing to see a story centred solely around two complex women. I agree wholeheartedly that it is vital that we platform this sort of art – especially work which celebrates the beauty and nuance of queer relationships. The delicate chemistry between Hannah and Zoe and the all-too-relatable millennial struggle of feeling stuck, alongside an under-told story of bisexuality holds a lot of promise, and with further development this could be an immensely impactful piece. I look forward to seeing what’s in store next for Bomb Factory Theatre!

The Watch plays at The Glitch Theatre until 9th June, 2025

🎟️ Tickets and information: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/vaultcreativearts/1617333?