In Other Words Review

Much like those songs make up the soundtrack of my life, Frank Sinatra makes up the soundtrack of Arthur (Matthew Seager) and Jane’s (Lydia White), the protagonists of Matthew Seager’s multi award-winning play In Other Words. From the moment the audience piled into Studio 2 at the Arcola Theatre in Dalston, the distinctive sound of his voice bounced between the four walls.

Before we learn how they got there, we see where they end up. Their story was a good one, their meet cute something out of a Rom Com – he spilt red wine on her, they got chatting, she kissed him – and there is no doubt they were in the right place at the right time.

From that moment, the chemistry between the two actors was powerful. As the story progressed, it deepened, and even when the so-called fog began to descend, that doesn’t change.

According to the World Health Organisation, Alzheimer’s and Dementia affects 57 million people globally and if we’re calling a spade a spade, it’s a “f**king horrible b**ch” of a disease.

For Arthur, it started as something small – forgetting milk and stamps – and became something much bigger. Seager’s performance, as his condition worsened, was spectacular. Partnered with thoughtfully curated lighting effects, which gave us an insight into his brain, the result was incredibly moving.

So much of ourselves are bound up in memories. The stark difference between who Arthur was and who he became was most notable towards the end of the play. First, we see him making Jane laugh with a clumsy-ish strip tease, next we see her bringing him in from outside, half-dressed and distressed, which was incredibly poignant.