★★★
A long-distance relationship may sound like a difficult concept to portray well on the stage, but Long Distance does it with ease. A queer love story, the show is told through the texts between a young couple (Lewis Merrylees and Jonathan Rubin) as they fall in love, fight, and ultimately break up. Two actors stand on the stage meters apart, never touching and rarely looking at each other, but they have fantastic chemistry, and manage to paint a vivid picture of their relationship.
Unfortunately, director Eli Zuzovsky informed the audience before the show that Lewis Merrylees was unable to perform due to a medical emergency, so Fred Woodley Evans was stepping in as a replacement. His acting was phenomenal, and if it wasn’t for the announcement and the script in his hand throughout, you never would have known that he was not the original actor. He slipped into the role so naturally which must be commended.
Having abbreviations and emojis read out as part of texts within shows can often feel tedious, but Long Distance avoids this. The characters have small whistles around their necks which they blow before they mention an emoji, which breaks things up more. This isn’t overused either, and mainly exists for comedic effect when one of their responses is hard to answer.
In its early stages (the show has debuted at this year’s Fringe), the show has plenty of room to grow and develop. There are lovely, poignant moments, but overall, it goes on for too long and could be shortened into a 45-minute runtime. The minimalistic setting of two chairs set apart where the actors deliver their lines is very effective, but I would love to see more use of the illuminated sign. It lights up during the blackouts between scenes, which gives the show an almost episodic feeling, but it is too small, and ultimately gets lost.
The chemistry between two characters that we never see interact with each other properly is remarkable. This is aided by strong performances from Evans and Rubin, but is mainly down to Zuzovsky’s considered and polished script. He is certainly one to watch in the future, and I hope I have the pleasure of seeing his work at future Fringe festivals.
Long Distance was performed at Zoo Playground 1 as part of Edinburgh Fringe 2024.
Words by Ellen Leslie
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