Review: The Last Show Before We Die, The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic – ‘Electrifying’

An electrifying blend of comedy and vulnerability, Hotter Project’s Edinburgh Fringe smash The Last Show Before We Die is both hilarious and heart-rending.

In an unorthodox birth, Ell Potter and Mary Higgins are reborn to confront the scary concept of ‘The End’. Prepare for a crash course in messy emotion and radical honesty. This play is charmingly silly and viscerally alive.

Ell and Mary’s brave confrontation of ‘endings’ encompasses heartbreak, loss, friendship breakups, sobriety, and the sometimes simple, often terrifying, act of saying goodbye.

Their ‘endings’ vary from insignificant to insurmountable; we see Ell and Mary’s chaotic everyday sequence, but later watch them grapple with withdrawal, conflict, and loss – in both physical and symbolic senses.

The chaotic chemistry between the pair must be noted. This dynamic duo are at once frustratingly dysfunctional and a perfect match.

Obliterating the fourth wall, Ell and Mary utilise every opportunity to involve us – we are their props, their stagehands, their ensemble.

Their displays of honesty and intimacy draw us in to their relationship dynamics. Raw, candid, and ever witty, they show us the most vulnerable parts of themselves.

Practically naked, the two are physically and emotionally exposed, bearing it all for the duration of the show.

Hilariously self-aware, they parody themselves by deconstructing and reconstructing the show, so seamlessly that it is hard to tell what is rehearsed and what isn’t.

Ell and Mary are unbelievably, spur of the moment funny – managing to create the atmosphere of laughing with friends, making the audience uncomfortably comfortable when tackling these heavy topics.

Even the heartfelt bits are undercut with joy and laughter, and the obviously staged moments of song and dance feel like equally authentic expressions.

As we approach the end it is difficult to untangle ourselves from this messy, complicated story.

The Last Show Before we Die – photo: Hotter Project/Ellie Keel Productions

Their wedding vows are instead, breakup vows, an offering of complete honesty and intimacy. A connection that feels SO real it will have you crying out “It can’t end!”

In The Last Show Before We Die, we see two hilariously brilliant theatre-makers, and a joyous rendering of an agonising concept. It weaves a narrative that truly resonates with the endings in all of our lives.

The Last Show Before We Die is at The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic on April 16-27 at 8pm, with additional 3pm matinee shows on Saturday. Tickets are available at www.bristololdvic.org.uk.

All photos (unless stated): Felix Mosse

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