The Urmetazoan

There is plenty to admire in Alex Rugman’s ambitious new play getting it’s world premiere at the Hampstead Theatre. With two sisters, one on a one-way mission to colonise another planet, the play brings out some very human complications that arise when someone decides to leave everything, and everyone, behind.

The problem is that the play, though thought-provoking and superbly acted never quite manages to make all these big ideas as dramatically compelling as they sound. The conversations move between sibling rivalry, relationships, scientific discovery and the fate of humanity, but frequently feel like interesting conversations and less like moments that drive the story forward.

There are some genuinely funny exchanges and flashes of warmth, particularly in the sisters’ awkward first meeting after seven years of not talking and the subsequent sisterly bickering as they try and revive the relationship they once had before it’s too late.

Dorothea Myer-Bennet and Megan Treadway as Alice and Abigail create a wonderfully believable sibling dynamic full or irritation and old wounds. Using the sort of shorthand that only years of growing up together can produce. Their performances are natural, detailed and often funny, whilst also giving the emotional weight the subject needs. Ben Allen as Will is equally as strong bringing warmth and humour to the complicated situation surrounding Alice’s departure
Anna Ledwich’s direction is nuanced and has gone for some bold decisions and with wonderfully creative and evocative lighting by Jonathan Chan creates memorable moments of visual clarity and wonderful atmosphere.

The difficulty is that The Urmetazoan sometimes carries too many ideas at once. Science, family, relationships, the future of humanity, and our place in the universe are all placed on the table, and some of the discussion feels heavier than the drama needs. The play is at its strongest when it stops trying to explain the universe and simply lets two sisters deal with their fragile relationship.

An ambitious, beautifully acted production that reaches for the ‘stars’ and almost but not completely gets there.


Photo credit: Rich Lakos