REVIEW: FORCE OF HABIT by Roz Wyllie at Baron’s Court Theatre 28th March – 1st April 2023

‘Treads the tightrope of modern tragedy with exceptional grace’ ★★★★

It’s no secret that marriage is hard. There’ll be bumps along the road for any couple, some inevitable and others entirely preventable, but failing to surmount these difficulties can result in a slow bleed of love and ultimately the death of the relationship itself. In documenting just such a fall, Roz Wylie’s FORCE OF HABIT treads the tightrope of modern tragedy with exceptional grace.

A frenetic portrayal of fifteen years in the lives of John and Martha, both played excellently by Michael Hajiantonis and May López respectively, we’re catapulted through each major stage of marriage. A surprise pregnancy leads to surprise twins, tensions heighten as affairs are suspected, old identities are lost and new one’s cobbled together, all culminating in an ending that either defies or dovetails with everything that came before; even now I’m still turning it over in my head, which I suspect is exactly what Wylie intended. In achieving all this the script is to be commended for taking a holistic approach to John and Martha’s marriage, showing how everything from gender politics to childcare to the working world affects the sense of self of both men and women and has significant consequences for those brave enough to try and forge a relationship together.

And when I call the portrayal frenetic, I really do mean it. Rapid pacing is a signature of everything from the script to the performances themselves, lines flying back and forth in quick succession as years pass in minutes and the full spectrum of emotions that characterise any relationship breakdown play out. This can lead to mild confusion at times, for instance John’s being married while he initially wines and dines Martha feels it takes a little longer than it should to emerge, but by the mid-point of the play this quick-fire style has settled into a comfortable and intelligible rhythm. The exceptions are the jump cuts that come at key points, wherein the narrative jumps by years and over pivotal relationship moments without any clear indication beyond a passing remark, but these specific jumps are clearly by design and work devilishly to leave the audience wondering what exactly they might have missed.

Because at the end of the day, this all comes down to us watching John and Martha do their best to narrate and justify the turns their lives take. This is mostly achieved through the characters offering inter-changing monologues, allowing some extremely funny moments thanks to dramatic irony (the orgasm jokes write themselves) but in the few times when the couple do sit down and talk directly with one another in confrontation and reconciliation the action is gripping. This is again thanks to a combined effort of the script and the actors to forge two main characters who are both entirely engaging as dramatic figures and entirely relatable as flawed human beings.

The downsides are slight; in terms of staging the play is minimalist in style, but can veer too much toward the sparse side of things. Lighting changes are present for significant shifts in mood and work to great effect, but it feels they are far fewer than they should be and they only appear at the moments of highest drama. Additionally, the production is completely absent of audio that would give the many sections of solitary monologue a sense of life, such as traffic noises when John is mulling over the futility of his work commute or office ambience when Martha is doing her best to survive a hostile work environment.

But these rough edges aside, FORCE OF HABIT is an intelligent and fast-paced drama that tackles a difficult topic while always ensuring it does justice to its characters and subject matter in the process.

FORCE OF HABIT is showing at Baron’s Court Theatre, 28th March – 1st April 2023

Box office: https://www.baronscourttheatre.com/force-of-habit

Written by Roz Wyllie

Directed by Leo Bacica

Produced by Sharon Willems & Kibo Productions

Reviewed by Harry Conway