Someone of Significance, written by Amalia Kontesi, follows the romance between Rosie, played by Funlola Olunfunwa and Brad, played by Simon Bass. The couple see many obstacles throughout the play, both in their professional and personal lives. Rosie works at the same investment bank as recently-hitched Brad, when sparks fly, resulting in a toxic love affair. As Rosie takes an interest in politics and moves away from the corporate world, her relationship with Brad becomes even more complicated. Ultimately, the play shines a light on their forced decisions from society and politics and their struggle to find happiness in love and work.
The audience is welcomed to a simplistic stage with a rail wardrobe on either side. This sets the scene that the audience will experience multiple stages of their relationship, the good, the bad and the ugly. Funlola portrays Rosie with a lot of confidence and the audience will be taken in by her character growth. If this does turn into a full-length piece, it would be great to dig deeper into this character, especially about the challenges she would have faced in the workplace and how she overcame them. Simon does show some great moments in story-telling ability and draws the audience in with his confliction in his professional choices, which develop into a mid-life crisis.
There are many polished moments in this play, however there were some moments that do not translate well on-stage. Having many periodic shifts throughout the play is good on paper, but too many of them make the play less enjoyable. The changes are not so quick, interfere with the play’s pace, and disengage from the plot.
Overall, the play addressed many issues that people face day-to-day such as politics, sexism, racism and classism. Executed with a sense of rom-com in the air, audience members will have an opportunity to laugh and at the same time be exposed to more serious topics that are worth discussion.
Review: Ramsey Baghdadi Photo: Vasiliki Verousi