★★★★

“a light hearted exploration of the intersection between technology and intimacy”

Ghosting, breadcrumbing, lovebombing. All phrases that will send shivers down your spine if you’ve spent any time on dating apps in the last few years, and all phrases which would sail straight over the head of a Victorian child. Modern romance has a highly therapised language all of its own, and now – it also has AI.

En Route Theatre’s You Matched With… investigates this recent development in a neat and thoughtful play which follows Em (Evangeline Beaven) through an existential crisis triggered by a recent date who’s gone worryingly quiet. The AI chatbot she’s been relying on to talk her through it decides she’s due an emotional reckoning, summoning Romantic Accountability Avatars (previous matches) to hold the mirror up to her own behaviour.

Theatre in the ‘modern dating’ genre can often be crass or reductive, but that couldn’t be further from where we land with You Matched With… While we cover a lot, from therapy speak to attachment styles, it never feels like a box ticking exercise. Diana Hognogi’s script is tightly woven, striking a careful balance between poking fun at the current state of romance, without overtly judging the heroine. The dialogue is light as a feather, and Hannah O’Reilly’s direction uses a gentle hand too, from the moment the three heads of the AI characters light up above Em as she lounges on the sofa, texting and fretting.

Em was a little impenetrable, which tracks for a character with a history of avoidant attachment issues, but at times we wanted to root for her a bit more than we actually did. Considering she’s the only real human character in the show, it felt like there was room for us to learn something about her that wasn’t related to her dating conduct, so that she wasn’t just a device for the AI characters to bounce off. Andrew Friedman and Samuel Greco both brought a teasing corporate charm to the Romantic Accountability Avatar roles, which got lots of laughs as they flipped between flirting and exposing Em’s flawed outlook. As for Tom (Alex McCaragher), the chatbot himself was grounded and gently cynical. Complaining of his exhaustion from being asked to assess 728 million situationships, his shoulders are massaged by his sympathetic colleagues.

If you’ve been married for a decade and can’t tell Tinder from Bumble, a lot of the specific anguish being explored here might go over your head. But if you’ve ever wondered which first date feelings are real and which are fake, or whether AI will help or hinder your pursuit of love, then you’ll find something to ponder on the way home in this intriguing script. It’s a light hearted exploration of the intersection between technology and intimacy, deftly handled by the whole cast and crew. Plus, going to see it will be a nice break from swiping right.

WICKED WITCHES: A POPULAR PANTO FOR ADULTS!

Pleasance Theatre

★★★★★

“an evening of uproarious fun, blasphemy and laughter”

Pantomime season has opened, we’re hurtling toward Christmas so there is no better way to get into the festive spirit than spending an evening at the Pleasance Theatre at this gloriously chaotic remix of Wicked and the Wizard of Oz.

You know you are in for a great evening as soon as you get to your table – the theatre is mostly laid out in cabaret style. The bar has been packed with characters from across the spectrum sending the sound levels sky high, while in the performance space, sparkly lights and a shimmering green fringe curtain get you in the mood for what’s to come.

Soon the green-skinned wicked witch (Gigi Zahir) bursts on to the stage bewailing her lot and spraying curses. Her name, it turns out, is Adele and her departed sister was the unfortunate ruler of Winkie Country killed by Dorothy a few years back. But – the clue is in the name – is she actually wicked or just misunderstood? There are going to be a lot of twists and turns before the end.

Soon Dor (Ro Suppa) and Tin 2.0 (Lew Ray) appear. Dorothy has turned non binary (a joke is made about non-binary, one syllable names) and the Tinman has refashioned into a woman. Dor has been swept out of Kansas (again) by a great wind and dumped down here in Oz-Lington (we get a lot of play on words and on the local setting). There is a great blizzard (get it?) coming to destroy everything and her mission, with Tin, is to save the area from it/him/her/them. That it actually was freezing cold outside, on press evening, somehow added to the fun.

Soon the Good Witch (Eleanor Burke in a magnificent frothy gown) and her brainless assistant, Scarecrow (Nick MacDuff) appear to spread happiness and, with a puppet lion attached to Scarecrow, our cast is complete.

Writer/director Shane ShayShay Konno has given us everything here: a fabulous set and costumes (creations of Isabella van Braeckel); great songs (pop parodies, of course); glorious characters; and lots and lots of audience involvement. The characters are not always what they seem – the good witch (Eleanor Burke) is making a lot of environmentally unfriendly bubbles in spreading joy. There are climate crisis references and diversity tolerance messages; skin tone, cosmetically enhanced boobs and breast removal scars are all present.

Finally, in what must have been a great coup for the cast and creative team, we have two celebrity appearances, albeit on a small drop-down screen, with Jeremy Corbyn (the wizard of Oz-Langton) and Ian McKellen (Toto the dog). Can anyone mimic an old dog, with his tongue hanging out, like Sir Ian?

Forget the tired innuendo of your Aladdins and Jack & the Beanstalks. This is a great drag romp and pantomime brought bang up to date. The cast were all superb, with the outstanding performances belonging to Zahir and Burke as the witches prancing about to audience boos and cheers.

It’s confession time. I don’t follow TikTok, listen to pop songs, or usually go to Christmas pantomimes. Worse, I have never seen Wicked. For cultural references this evening, I was a dinosaur. Most of the parody and jokes went straight over my head, and I failed at the audience singalongs and gesture dances. All of which, after a great evening in the company of massive talent and a fully engaged audience, made me think about how much I must be missing. If you are in the same boat, please make sure you find your way down the yellow brick (Caledonian) road to Oz-Lington for enlightenment and an evening of uproarious fun, blasphemy and laughter.

YOU MATCHED WITH …

Pleasance Theatre

★★★★

“a light hearted exploration of the intersection between technology and intimacy”

YOU MATCHED WITH …

Pleasance Theatre

Reviewed on 27th November 2025

by Jessica Hayes

Photography by Miranda Shoots Photos

Previously reviewed at this venue:

YOU MATCHED WITH

YOU MATCHED WITH

YOU MATCHED WITH

WICKED WITCHES: A POPULAR PANTO FOR ADULTS!

Pleasance Theatre

★★★★★

“an evening of uproarious fun, blasphemy and laughter”