Sisyphean Quick Fix delivers moving performances and sharp direction, but its short runtime leaves some story threads underdeveloped.
★★★★☆
Sisters have frequently been popular fodder for theatre, from Shakespeare to Chekhov to more modern fare from Lucy Kirkwood or even Wicked. Generally, they’re more likely to be at each other’s throats or conspiring to kill each other, or bogged down in competition as a result of parents showing favouritism, so it’s comforting to see a play with two leading roles that subvert that trope.
In Sisyphean Quick Fix, the sisters are Krista (Bettina Paris), an aspiring actress based in London, and the more settled, pragmatic Pip (Tina Rizzo), who’s stayed in their hometown in Malta. Krista’s life is a frenzied chaotic one, Pip’s defiantly more ordered, but despite these starkly differing character traits and being based on opposite sides of the continent, the two care greatly for each other and exhibit real tenderness and ongoing support, again, going against the grain of what we might expect for a play dealing with close familial relationships. The play opens with Pip calling Krista mid-bar shift to let her know she’s engaged, so we’re in close-natured territory from the get-go. Venture too far down this avenue of supportive siblinghood and the play would lack any drama or wind up too saccharine, but Sisyphean Quick Fix skilfully sidesteps this. Conflict is derived from the sisters’ handling of their father’s alcoholism, and given their dramatically divergent lives, each sister’s response to this—the Sisyphean task of the title—is similarly at odds.
The staging really adds something to the play. Composed of a pile of cardboard boxes messily stacked up at the back of the room, it’s an intimate setting that curves at the edges, enclosing the two sisters in the action. Each sister gets a box of her own, dotted with stickers that situate them in the two separate countries—“MALTA” on one, “LONDON” on the other and a speckling of familiar landmarks. There’s a suggestion that these boxes symbolise the clutter concealed in each sister’s personal life or the hidden chaos of their relationship with the unseen dad, while also serving as a suitable plot point when props need to be stashed aware or whipped out for displaying. They’re littered with items relevant to the play too, namely, stray copies of The Lion King and Pride & Prejudice on DVD. You often feel with this set like you’re squatting in their father’s mind, the concept of his alcoholism all-encompassing.
The acting and direction is well thought-out. The closeness of the sisters is obvious from Rizzo and Paris’s well-crafted chemistry: the two actors don’t exactly look alike but the dynamic between them is enough to convince (and if it worked for the siblings in Succession, why not here?). The script is good, from Paris who also serves as writer here, the first half being especially strong as the relationship and setup is established. You definitely feel, however, like the play is a little on the short side, and could actually benefit from a longer runtime, since that would afford more space to delve into the backstories a little further and make the pay-off at the finale all the more impactful. As such, the supporting characters feel a little under-developed, and though we hear snippets about Pip’s fiancé and the siblings’ mother, there’s not enough about them to make this feel worth including.
The reality of the father’s alcoholism is powerfully felt. It’s impressive how the play manages to maintain its comedic bent despite the seriousness of its subject matter, which could have come off as hackneyed. Paris makes the impact painfully clear: in one scene when the father suffers serious withdrawal, Pip notes that “his body can’t function without it now,” a cruel reminder of addiction’s physical grip. Subtle nods that reinforce this theme, like Pip discreetly ordering a cranberry juice disguised as a cocktail when the sisters meet, are artfully done.
A funny, thought-provoking piece that’s performed well by the two leads, Sisyphean Quick Fix is equal parts light and serious when it needs to be, and a very enjoyable hour.
The Verdict
Rizzo and Paris shine in a tender, witty two-hander that brings warmth and emotional nuance to a heavy subject without ever losing its light touch.
Sisyphean Quick Fix will be performed at Riverside Studios until 6 April.
Words by James Morton
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