“Love and Understanding”

Luxembourg. Don’t miss the last chance to see the theatre play ”Love and Understanding“ at the Théâtre de Capucins in Luxembourg-city this evening.  Joe Penhall’s third play, which was published in 1997, treats the topic of people in the health sector, like his other plays as well. In contrast to these, “Love and Understanding” does not lay the focus on patients, but on the doctor Neal (played by Nickel Bösenberg), who gets surprisingly visited by his old and good-for-nothing friend Richie (played by Owen Sharpe).  The drama with a duration of 1 ½ hours with Larisa Faber in the third role, as the doctor’s girlfriend, is named after the 1991 title of Cher, and focuses on the topics relationships, stress, love and communication.

After an exciting time travelling and a breakup with his girlfriend, Richie returns home to London, not only with alcohol- and drug-problems, but also with the plan to stay indefinitely with his friend Neal and his girlfriend Rachel. Both Rachel and Neal work up to 100 hours a week as doctors and therefor, they don’t see each other that often, what begins to cause some problems in their relationship. Richie on the other hand loves to talk much and turns words and also peoples’ opinions around by lying, keeping certain information back or asking further questions. Intentional manipulation leads to a sudden crisis in the couple’s relationship. In a play about people and their problems, fears and wishes one gets an impressive demonstration of which turns some stories can take, when an impact from outside is added.

The audience did not only have the possibility to admire the easily understandable piece in English, but the stage as such as well. With numerous moving and changing elements one can see a doctor’s practice, a flat and a bar, while the stage and its lifting elements offered more and more room and depth, just like the more and more complex becoming story around the three people.

Different versions of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” and the realistic soundscape of a London flat in the entry lane of Heathrow-Airport formed the lively addition to this piece about the everyday life. An entertaining film-like drama which catches the audience’s attention with its scenes of liveliness and displayed emotions.