Running until 26th February, Can’t Wait To Leave is a new British play brought to you by Stephen Leach. The one-man play is currently making its world premiere at Waterloo East Theatre. There are not many complex and crucial themes the play does not cover, and what starts as a mostly amusing play about one young man’s awkward encounters and experiences, soon becomes a much darker and more harrowing piece that is uncomfortable – and rightly so. Can’t Wait To Leave is a real, brutal and emotional journey – for both the audience and Ryan himself, the leading and only character.
Show: Can’t Wait to Leave
Rating: 4 stars
Theatre: Waterloo East Theatre
Writer: Stephen Leach
Director: Stephen Leach
Cast: Zach Hawkins
Runs until: 26th February
Starting at the end, then going back to the start, Can’t Wait to Leave has Ryan, as played by Zach Hawkins. recounts his story of moving to London and why, and the encounters and experiences he has once moving there. Though Ryan does not initially present himself as someone particularly likeable, the more the play progresses, Ryan’s vulnerabilities come through in the script and through Hawkins’ delivery and by the end of the show, I found my heart really going out to him.
Ryan is a confused young man dealing with living in a city he doesn’t like, alone, and finding his feet for the first time, whilst still coming to terms with who he is, what he wants from life and where he wants to go from here. Regardless of our upbringings, culture or wherever we are in life, there are elements of this all of us can somewhat relate to in one way or another. Identity is one of the overarching themes of the play and this combined with further themes such as belonging, mental health, biphobia, and growth as people make this a really thought-provoking piece that lingered in my mind long after I’d left the theatre.
Keeping the audience’s attention for 90 minutes straight through when there is only one person on stage recounting a story seems like a challenge but Hawkins takes it in his stride. 90 minutes is pushing the limit for audience attention spans for a one-man show, and there are points at which I was wondering where the show was going. However, the script – written by Leach – is beautiful, poetic and fluid. This, combined with Hawkins who seems to be a natural storyteller and very comfortable upon the stage and within his role with enthusiasm and energy bouncing off him, worked well together to keep my interest.
The show arguably is almost divided in two; the first half learning who Ryan is and hearing him seeming to use comedy to lighten the brutal honesty that living in London is not what he expected (much worse even). Then the second half at which there is a point within the show where there is a definitive turning point. From this point we see Ryan’s struggle become much darker, more haunting, the comedy lessens, and the vulnerabilities are amplified – as are the heartbreaking emotions that coincide with all this.
Whilst at the start, the set appears to be replicating a hospital waiting room – plastic chairs, helpful information on the walls, by the end I had noticed a subtle yet clever detail that served as a reminder of something at the heart of the show: a poster advertising who to contact if you’re struggling with mental health. Throughout this piece, we see Ryan go on a journey through which his mental health severely declines and then at the end, there is a glimmer of hope. The structure of the show feels less like a performance and more like we in the audience are listening to someone just tell us about their life – almost like a long overdue catch-up with a friend. It takes a lot of bravery to lay out your story and difficulties for someone to hear – whether it’s from a fictional character or not.
This monologue-style presentation gave me the impression that Ryan just wanted to talk, to relieve all he’s been going through to someone. The structure of the play, the script with so much depth to the piece and Ryan’s character and the subtle but effective reminder of the importance of reaching out when needed when struggling with mental health all come together to bring a really quite moving piece of theatre. Ryan may be a fictional character but his story and struggles are very real, and I found it near impossible to not empathise with him.
Given the intimacy of the space in which the piece is performed, combined with there only being one person we see in the show, this really aids the audience to build up a connection with Ryan as a character and feel the emotion go on this journey with him. Hawkins delivers Ryan’s character seemingly effortlessly; he uses his posture, tone of voice, and facial expressions – all key tools to bringing a character to life – to do just that. Hawkins does not seem to be playing Ryan, but becoming him entirely; not just telling his story but truly living it.
Whilst at times the show is uncomfortable, this is necessary and for the right reasons. For a world premiere, Can’t Wait to Leave is already a really interesting and thought-provoking show with lots of potential that I am confident will have a future.
The show runs until the 26th of February. You can buy tickets for the show here: https://www.waterlooeast.co.uk/cant-wait-to-leave.
Note: I would strongly advise people going to the show to be 18+ as I do not think this show is suitable for younger viewers given the content.
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