Review: It's Gonna Be Me (Old Red Lion Theatre)

This week I had my first ever trip to the Old Red Lion Theatre to see It’s Gonna Be Me, a play by writer-actor Evie Killip.

Keira (Evie Killip) and Rory (Rowan Polonski) haven’t seen each other for over a decade but as the play starts Keira is anticipating Rory’s arrival at 2am and is in a bit of a chaotic state while trying to get ready. This opening is hilarious and instantly has the audience on side. A conversation with Keira’s friend Kath (voiced by Olivia Bernstone) gives some interesting backstory and continues to raise the anticipation of Rory's entrance.

Once the two characters are in the room together, the rest of their night is taken up with discussion and a prolonged sense of will they / won’t they – with regard to that night but also the future.  Filling in gaps by discussing at times their slightly different memories of the past, and establishing how each of them have changed gave the audience a sense of what the future may look like, but have they really changed in the past ten years, and if so how much?

The use of lighting to denote the change of scene from present to flashback was important. Without it the timeline may have been confusing. The flashbacks gave insight into the relationship they shared in their uni days.

The actors were both fantastic, and they performed opposite each other well, the tension between them palpable, the comedy timing on point. Evie Killip has a very expressive face, some of the reactions she had to things she’d said and then regretted conveyed more than any words. Both of these performers are ones to watch.

What makes this production so entertaining is the writing; intelligent comedy blended with characters who would seem familiar in some ways to most people, alongside the fact that the tension between them was continuously built onstage as the play went on. 

Raising a lot of laughter and some audible groans as well, this show was a very satisfying watch.

 ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

• The Old Red Lion Theatre is on St John’s Street a short walk from Angel tube station.

• Follow the production company Medium Rare Productions on Instagram.

I was gifted a ticket for this show in exchange for an honest review.