CANDY
White Bear Theatre
★★★★
“a truly enthralling seventy minutes of theatre about love and addiction”
Can love truly conquer all? Candy, the stage adaptation of Luke Davies’ novel about love and heroin addiction, would argue it cannot. Director and co-adaptor Kate Elliott along with star and co-adaptor Freya James, have managed to deliver something truly special with this piece on the spiral of addiction and co-dependence.
When Dan and Candy meet, it is quite a typical boy meets girl. They fall in love. They want to share everything — every moment, every experience… including Dan’s budding dependence on heroin. What follows is a slow, but steady descent into sickness, desperation, and constant heartbreak that threatens to destroy them both.
Freya James delivers a stunning performance as the titular character, Candy, as well as a host of other characters who inhabit this universe — her snap transformation between Candy and Candy’s mother is particularly impressive. Ed McVey shines as well — he brings a softness to Dan, a character who might easily slip away as cold and self-interested. Instead, we thoroughly empathise with him. We want so badly for both of them to get better, to work it out, even though ultimately, we know they can’t.
The movement direction is truly a standout in the production. Co-movement directors Laure Bachelot and Alexandria McCauley have truly crafted something that deals sensitively with the subject matter at hand. When you’re dealing with stage-craft around drug use and sex, it would be all too easy to lean into the gratuitous, to shock your audience into submission. Instead, Bachelot and McCauley ensure that Candy and Dan’s actions always tell us just enough about what’s going on. The implication is sometimes more haunting than the visceral visual, and it is clear that this creative team understand that.
Praise must also be given for the set and lighting design (Kate Elliott and Cameron Pike, respectively). Though incredibly stripped back, once again the restraint only adds to the impact of the story. Elliott’s framework of PVC pipes lined with soft blue tube lights and draped with sheer, white sheets gives the space just enough structure, while also allowing intimate asides for both of our protagonists. With some soft lighting from behind the sheer sheets, we can watch as some of the most uncomfortable moments unfold. There are no shortage of occasions where we feel like we’re watching something we shouldn’t be privy to, but these moments behind the curtain, these silhouettes are particularly affecting.
What could allow this excellent piece of theatre to soar to the heights that it is absolutely capable of reaching? A slightly deeper introduction to Candy and Dan. Their meeting feels like it passes a touch too quickly. We’re thrust into the beginning of their shared addiction, but not given enough of their initial romance to help us invest into their relationship. They do love each other, even if that love turns toxic, that much is obvious — but the narrative would benefit from showing us more of why that love endures to begin with.
Candy is a truly enthralling seventy minutes of theatre about love and addiction, which holds its subjects and its audience with sensitivity and respect. Its a gorgeous exploration of an important subject, and it should not be missed.
CANDY
White Bear Theatre
Reviewed on 5th June 2025
by Stacey Cullen
Photography by Kate Elliott
Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:
HAUNTED SHADOWS: THE GOTHIC TALES OF EDITH NESBIT | ★★★ | January 2025
UNTIL SHE SLEEPS | ★★★ | November 2024
SEVEN DAYS IN THE LIFE OF SIMON LABROSSE | ★★★½ | October 2024
THE BOX | ★★★ | July 2024
JUST STOP EXTINCTION REBELLION | ★★★ | February 2024
I FOUND MY HORN | ★★★★ | February 2023
THE MIDNIGHT SNACK | ★★★ | December 2022
THE SILENT WOMAN | ★★★★ | April 2022
US | ★★★★ | February 2022
MARLOWE’S FATE | ★★★ | November 2021
