It’s great to head back into The Vaults and we love that it’s a versatile space where theatre can be more experimental and new works can be tried out. This time we headed in to see “Games For Lovers”, a comedy which focuses on the lives of four millennials working through the world of love and dating. It’s a good set up with some interesting ideas but ultimately failed to land an impact.
On the positive side the script had some good moments with some laugh out loud moments. It starts out well with each of the characters describing their love lives. But it doesn’t live up to the promise of the opening. The story is weak and predictable and apart from some one off lines it doesn’t really delve into the modern world, the characters felt they were from the 80’s more than being millenials. There were the seeds of compelling stories but needed to be explored more deeply. The “Lothario” Darren with his rules of seduction has an interesting back story which is never fully looked at. With only four characters there is the opportunity to really understand them, their world and relationships but it never goes beyond the superficial. Because of this you never really care for any of the characters or are concerned about what happens to them.
The set was fun with bright and vibrant colours, although this harks back to the 80’s vibe again, and is utilised well throughout with scene changes feeling natural and fluid. Taking advantage of the space The Vaults provides the seats are set up on two sides which makes it feel more intimate (especially as those in the front row love seats are visible from the other side). However, they need to be careful with this as it was difficult to hear at times which may have been due to the actors facing the opposite direction.
The acting was good and each of them did well with the characters they were given but the direction let them down. They were directed with what to do when they were speaking but it looks they weren’t given direction when they aren’t speaking. There could be a lot more back and forth banter but it lacked the pace it needed to keep it engaging. One further point is that some of the direction had people performing to the wall, probably to allow both sides to see this but the space and seating needed to be embraced. As we said, the acting was good and we’d love to get to see these actors in another production soon.
The show will raise a smile but ultimately it’s a story that doesn’t really go anywhere. We give this two Laura Michelle-Kelly stars.
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