Teddy Ferrara, Donmar Warehouse ****

The emphasis of Dominic Cooke's production of Christopher Shinn's play about the issues facing the LGBTQ community post equal marriage is loneliness. You walk into Hildegard Bechtler's clinical and blank space with chairs positioned in a circle. However, the play does not start with a group conversation but with Gabe putting away the chairs, making the space empty and foreboding. All of the people in this play are lonely, whether it's because of their sexuality or their personality. The event that occurs at the end of the first half isn't really a tragedy but is what this community need; a call to arms and a chance to unite and not be lonely. The importance of symbols and the issue of mental health is discussed here with sensitivity and works rather well. Acting-wise, the American accents held up well for me but other audience members did complain. Luke Newberry and Oliver Johnston are fantastic as the core couple as Gabe and Drew whose new relationship, as with our sympathies for each of them, waxes and wanes throughout with secondary characters interfering, notably Kadiff Kirwan's Nicky, Nathan Wiley's Tim and Christopher Imbrosciano's Jay as well as Anjli Mohandra as Tim's girlfriend Jenny who all do well in providing layered characters and not just acting as plot devices. Matthew Marsh is a horribly familiar President who appears to behave like the politician we know and hate today, in holding a focus group to be seen to be doing something whilst in fact not doing anything. Pamela Nomvete and Griffyn Gilligan as Ellen and Jaq, along with Gabe and Jay are the diverse crew the President assembles and, whilst Gabe's ambitions cloud his judgements, the rest see through the President's illusion and fight back in a satisfying way. The hubris displayed by Newberry as Gabe is heartbreaking, with his final scene reducing me to tears and the lingering silence at the end reflects the thoughtful and haunting nature of this surprising and well thought through production.