by guest critic Romy Foster

Almost everyone on earth has at least once questioned the idea of immortality and whether they would take the opportunity or not, should it arise.

Imi (Alys Metcalf) and Olga (Roxy Dunn) meet at a wedding in Las Vegas; Imi has just been dumped by her girlfriend and Olga is a guest at the wedding. Sharing jokes, opinions and life experiences, they bond. Their relationship ignites after going on a date that evening at a casino bar. Imi also bumps into a strange man who had recently been researching an ‘elixir of life’ to make humans immortal. His funding has just been cut so they both drink the last untested vial of his creation and part ways.

Using fast-paced physical comedy, Dunn and Metcalf demonstrate the timeline of Imi and Olga’s relationship over the years. They get married, have a child and live their lives in London. Years pass and Olga ages, but Imi physically remains the same. She’s stuck at the age of 25. Throughout the play, Dunn and Metcalf truthfully capture the complexity of human relationships, show it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, and explore the problems couples face in relationships. The also address the complications that come with the ever-growing age gap between them.

Between the scenes, the audience is treated to little break downs of how Dunn and Metcalf wrote the show. They snap at each other, arguing who’s ideas made it into the show. The relationship between Roxy and Alys alongside the relationship between Imi and Olga is interesting, contrasting one another delving into the plays themes of time, love and morality. Viscera Theatre have a unique style of storytelling and are definitely a company to watch out for.

You Only Live Forever runs through 26 August.

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