A poignant portrayal of love, marriage, sexuality, growing old and finding yourself. Heaven hits all the right notes, asking what really is the meaning of it all. Presented in the intimate Southwark Playhouse, Mairead and Mal narrate a day in their life, after twenty years of marriage returning to the Irish village where it all began for a family wedding and questioning every decision that has been made along the way. Sharing the stage but never once conversing, two intertwined lives are pulled apart by conflicting needs written with effortless relatability by playwright Eugene O’Brien. 

Mairead is the straight talking, “bull in a china shop” go-getter played to perfection by Janet Moran. Unhappy with almost every aspect of her life, except for the friendship of her husband, her brutal honesty is delivered with nuanced comedic timing and startling realism. Moran‘s conversational style is comforting and lends well to the setting; the sort of character portrayal that makes you really want to have a pint with a person.

Mal puts on more of a show, with Andrew Bennett delving into constant reflection and almost out-of-body hypnotic moments of story telling. Having a crisis of faith and sexuality, he certainly gets more of the laughs with a relatable lost energy that evokes sincere sympathy. 

Staged in a cycle of opposition, never tiring or slowing, the energy is palpable and engaging, with content jumping from drunken renditions of Sweet Caroline to triggering tales of abortion and intimacy. Light touch lighting by designer Sinead McKenna, and soothing undertones of classical music composed by Carl Kennedy never once distract from the action, instead giving ethereal context to the heavenly asides. Zia Bergin-Holly’s simple set, juxtaposing the local pub and the suede glamour of the hotel, gives a background to the action whilst not restricting any movement. Director Jim Culleton lets his actors loose, with all direction feeling subtly intentional without any indication of having been staged. It all combines to present a play as close to reality as possible. 

Ninety minutes of gripping story telling covering all aspects of life in a long-term relationship that cannot help but feel profoundly personal no matter one’s own situation. A must see for two extraordinary acting performances and a script that unravels who we truly are. 

Review by Eva Tilley

Heaven is on at Southwark Playhouse until 22nd February. You can find out more and book tickets on their website.

If you like this review of Heaven you might also like my review of Firebird at Kings Head Theatre, Stranger Things First Shadow and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.