But what was it that caused the rift between single mum Morna and solid, reliable, happily married Athol? In the course of an absorbing 80 minutes, David Harrower’s intertwined monologues (which he also directs) reveal how different the lives of these two ordinary people have been and hint at reconciliation thanks to the intervention of Mona’s son Joshua.
Their stories are simple enough – nothing earthshattering, just a succession of remembered incidents and events exposing both protagonists’ points of view. Susan Vidler’s resentful single mum Mona still thinks the world owes her (she’s unjustifiably, angrily indignant when the rich woman she cleans for refuses to let her borrow her flat for Joshua’s 21st birthday) and more than a trace of the wild child she once was still remains. In contrast, Lewis Howden’s comfortable Athol, now based in Glasgow and with his own tiling business, has settled into a life of walking the dog and playing golf.
Both performances are first rate, drawing you into Athol and Morna’s past and present in this low-key, quietly engaging two-hander, fittingly played out on adjacent sides of the jagged edges which split the square stage into unequal halves.
Tricycle, Kilburn High Road, NW6 7JR | £15+
Tube | Kilburn
Until 2nd June
tricycle.co.uk