Somewhere in the USA, where assisted dying is illegal, Jodie, a woman with terminal brain cancer, has decided to end her life.
She stood on the roof of a car park, considering whether she should jump off, but she didn’t. She also thought about throwing herself in front of a truck, but didn’t.
Deciding to get someone to help her die, she and her husband Brad (Archie Backhouse) call in the help of Tate (Morgan Watkins), who arrives restless and sullen to their home to discuss what they want.
Jodie (Justina Kehinde) tells him, “we want you to kill me.” However, Brad expresses reservations, and the play becomes a display of minor friction between him and Jodie, which mellows, and a more emotional clash between Brad and Tate.
There is barely any exploration of the arguments around assisted dying, and no discussion of the social context of institutions and ideas that surround the issue. The single-note focus of the action mostly centres on the anxieties and self-esteem of the men. Very early on, Tate, irritated by Brad’s doubts, tells him, “if you keep that tone with me, I’ll come over there and smash your face.” Not that Tate’s anger puts Jodie off.
Ninety minutes into the performance, they still haven’t said how the killing might happen. Jodie and Tate talk about going to the same school, though Tate points out, “you were popular. I was just a loser.”
Despite the fine cast and an imaginative set, this slow-moving two-hour (plus a twenty-minute interval) show doesn’t have any real character development. The often improbable plot also never really develops any dramatic tension, even when the writer, perhaps in a panic, throws into the final scene an unexpected revelation.