If We Got Some More Cocaine I Could Show You How I Love You

The Vaults

Reviewed – 25th February 2018

★★★★★

“I’ve rarely come across seventy minutes of theatre which is as simultaneously heart-warming and heart-wrenching”

 

John O’Donovan’s award winning ‘If We Got Some More Cocaine I Could Show You How I Love You’ is a masterpiece. On a rooftop in rural West Ireland, the lovable rogue Mikey (Andy Mahon) and the charismatic romantic Casey (Josh Williams) hide from the police. Their crimes are late night robberies on a nearby petrol station and then on Casey’s home, but O’Donovan’s extraordinary script forces you to instantly forgive them.

As the play progresses, it becomes apparent that it is not just the police that have surrounded and trapped the young men. Crazy ex-boyfriends, abusive step fathers and the drain of the recession have prevented them from being able to fully commit to each other for a long time. With no option but to stay where they are, Mahon and Williams treat the audience to a tennis match of witty, reminiscent dialogue as Casey and Mikey take us through their childhood wins and losses. Whether hearing about Mikey’s growing, but perhaps unwarranted reputation as a thug or Casey being plucked from his old life and whisked off to Ireland with his spiteful, violent step father, your heart cannot help but break for the struggles these two have faced.

Proudly working their way through their stolen goods (highlights include whisky, cocaine and two different sorts of M&Ms), the couple indulge in each other’s company in what seems to be a rare moment of truthful isolation between them. Indeed, even when the police cars leave the scene the boys stay put. This begs the question: is the rooftop a prison cell or a sanctuary? With one desperately clinging to the inside of the closet and the other beaming at the mere thought of showing off his new partner, the boys are proof that opposites attract. One thing they have in common, however, is their need to feel wanted. As they physically cling to the chimney, they emotionally cling to each other; and it is this that forces you to will them lifelong happiness.

Mahon and Williams deliver O’Donovan’s triumph with dignity, dexterity and determination. Georgia de Grey’s set wouldn’t be out of place in a West End theatre and Thomas Martin’s direction is ingeniously detailed. I’ve rarely come across seventy minutes of theatre which is as simultaneously heart-warming and heart-wrenching and I urge you to see it. Whether the two are trapped on the roof or hiding in their safe place, it’s clear that there is much more than just honour between these two thieves – there is love.

 

Reviewed by Sydney Austin

Photography by Keith Dixon

 

If We Got Some More Cocaine I Could Show You How I Love You

Vaults Theatre

 

 

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