Moving and poignant, The Inseparables is the true story of a strong, intimate female friendship adapted by Grace Joy Howarth but originally written by Simone de Beauvoir, one of the most significant feminist writers of the 20th century. Written five years after her significant feminist text The Second Sex, The Inseparables was never actually published during Beauvoir's lifetime, but it was finally published in 2020, and shortly became critically acclaimed as a rediscovered classic. This is the first time it's been adapted for the theatre.
In this play, Sylvie (Ayesha Ostler) and Andrée (Lara Manela) are inseparable. From the moment Sylvie meets the new girl at school, a friendship is born - one that is intense, bright, and a whirlwind. Sylvie finally has someone who makes her laugh, and someone she can share her passion for literature with, and talk about the issues of equality, war, and religion that surround them in France at this time.
Cleverly split into two parts, we follow the girls' childhood in act one before seeing the shift in adulthood in act two. As the girls grow up, they have to face the restrictions of their Catholic bourgeois upbringing and the pressures of becoming a young woman in the world they live in.
Both actors are exceptional in their roles with the way they express themselves, their vibrancy, mannerisms and movement on the stage that brought the characters to life. The relationship of the two girls is powerfully shown through the way the two actors integrated together on stage. Sylvie (Ostler) is the narrator, speaking in part towards the audience, guiding us through certain scenarios and also expressing her thoughts and emotions. Directed brilliantly by Anastasia Bunce, this is a great way to shape the story and give us insight into the events taking place rather than being entirely dialogue between the characters on stage.
The set is minimalistic but effectively designed too by Hazel Poole Zane, with a sofa and a desk/table that moved around on stage, acting as a garden bench, a kitchen table, and for church. There is a screen at the back of the stage too, that often depicts a stained glass window for the scenes set in a church. Background sounds constructed by Flick Isaac Chilton, are carefully arranged and useful in placing us in the different settings during the play too.
The Inseparables is an emotional and heartwarming play that is full of character and depth, and well worth a watch at the multi-award-winning Finborough Theatre.
It runs until 10 May 2025.
Review: Cara-Louise Scott-Lapish Photos: Stuart Ray