★★★★
It’s appropriate that Seconds to Midnight takes place in Pleasance Courtyard’s Bunker One. As the lights dim, an automated message from the Government plays: a nuclear attack is coming in seven hours, and everyone must stay in their homes.
Best friends Jo (Elise Busset) and Eddie (Cosimo Asvisio) are playing Uno as the announcement hits. Stuck inside together, a tension caused by the looming anxiety of what’s to come hangs between them. We follow them through the last seven hours of their friendship, as they chat, bicker and reminisce about the past.
Queer friendship is explored through their conversations which range from discussions about past romances to arguments about what they should be doing in their final few hours. At times, it is hard to see why they’re friends, as they have little in common and seem to constantly irritate each other both deliberately and unintentionally. But the love they have for each other is clear: while they argue, they seek comfort in one another in the hours leading up to the strike. The looks between them are filled with care and adoration, and it is clear they have an unbreakable bond.
Some of their conversations, however, are unnecessary and the lack of discussion about the impending nuclear attack, while understandable, is disappointing. Prior to the play, the audience is encouraged to fill out a Post-it note with what they would say to their best friend if the world was ending. I would have loved to see this incorporated more within the character’s conversations. Ultimately, it does run for slightly too long and would benefit from a shorter runtime.
In addition to a deeper exploration of the final hours of their friendship, we also see its first seven minutes, in the form of sound clips played between conversations. After the pair is pushed into a closet during a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven, they begin chatting. Fresh out of a relationship and more than a little tipsy, Jo tries to flirt with Eddie, where he awkwardly tells her he is gay, something that only a few people know. A little timidly, Jo also tells Eddie that she likes girls. These sound bites are incredibly visceral: you can really imagine them crammed in a small space, taking shots from a hip flask.
Storylines such as this one rely on strong characterisation, and the company nails this. Jo is opinionated and bold. She is not afraid to speak her mind, but we also see a softer, more vulnerable side to her as the end of the world creeps closer. Eddie is moody, and sensitive to some of Jo’s casual remarks, but he also has a brilliant sense of humour, and delivers some of the show’s best one-liners.
With strong characterisation and acting, and an interesting premise, Seconds to Midnight is bursting with potential, and Love Song Productions is certainly one to watch in the future.
Seconds to Midnight will be performed at Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker One at 11:45am until 26 August (not 14, 21) as part of Edinburgh Fringe 2024.
Words by Ellen Leslie
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