REVIEW: Significant Other at Brockley Jack Studio Theatre 18 – 29 August 2026

‘The play reaches its climax with a genuinely shocking twist’ ★★★

A travelling salesman in his fifties and a glamorous teenage social media influencer may at first appear to have little in common. However, Victor and Malika share one key attribute: they both struggle to move on from previous relationships, and are haunted by the ghosts of their respective pasts. Significant Other explores the ways in which old flames are constantly re-ignited, pervading everyday life and becoming impossible to ignore.

The narrative follows the separate journeys of Malika and Victor as they attempt to navigate their lives after the demise of their respective relationships. Malika’s ex-boyfriend begins to stalk her obsessively after their relationship ends, and Victor is troubled by the presence of his ex-wife in seemingly implausible situations. The play allows for some ambiguity around whether all of these appearances are tangible, or if something more metaphysical is taking place, giving the performance an unsettling undertone that effectively portrays the stranglehold of the past on the present.

These two characters are also similar in their propensity for egotism. Victor’s delusion that he deserves to win every prize at his corporate annual awards, and Malika’s obsession with documenting every mundane aspect of her daily life at stage school to her Instagram followers creates an amusing parallel between the two. Bold, self-concerned and slightly ditzy in comparison to her aspiring medic friend Sophia, the social-media obsessed Malika has the potential to come across as unlikeable. However, Christie Fewry plays her with so much heart that it is impossible not to root for her, as she struggles to balance schoolwork, her relationships and her all-consuming dreams of becoming a star. The friendship between the two feels genuine, and with her ex-boyfriend casting such a sinister shadow, it feels only right that Malika has a loyal compatriot to guide her through post-break-up life. Writing young people can often be challenging due to the ever-changing nature of their idiolect, but playwright Shireen Shaikh manages to effectively capture the speech patterns of contemporary teenagers, allowing the two characters to feel all the more authentic.

In contrast, the romantic relationships in Significant Other feel a little less developed. The dynamic between Victor and his ex-wife is an interesting insight into the resentment that can grow between former lovers. The audience are offered glimpses into their idyllic past of picnics and dancing by moonlight, building a picture of their bygone romance. However, some aspects of this feel a little undercooked; in particular, their relationship to their child and how this drove a wedge between them, which feels as though it could benefit from deeper exploration, due to the complex subject matter. Similarly, the relationship between Malika and her ex-boyfriend creates enough sinister tension to propel the play forwards, but also feels as if some key aspects of how the toxicity of the relationship really took hold are missing from the story.

The performance is sprinkled with lots of genuinely very funny moments, most notably the visual gags that arise from Victor’s bizarre relationship with a life-sized doll, which functions as a stand-in for his more opinionated ex-wife. But underneath the comedy is the deep sadness of a man who struggles to be truly alone once his relationship has dissipated, which is balanced masterfully by actor Kit Smith.

The frequent switches between characters played by the same actors, and jumps in the chronology of the story are a little hard to follow at times, although a lot of the unclear details of the plot do become apparent by the ending. The play reaches its climax with a genuinely shocking twist (evoking actual gasps from the audience) and feels like a satisfying culmination of the tension that builds up until that point. Despite its issues with characterisation and structuring, the play is still an engaging, and poignant exploration of past relationships, and how they continue to torment the present.

Significant Other is on at the Brockley Jack Studio Theatre from Tuesday 18 – Saturday 29 August 2026 at 7.30 pm

Box Office https://brockleyjack.co.uk/

Cast, Crew and Production

Victor: Kit Smith

Malika: Christie Fewry

Sophia: Leila McCalla

The Woman/Receptionist/Reporter: Kate Russell-Smith

The Boy/Waiter/Jerome: Bryan Seisay

Voice of Awards: Host Leila McCalla

Voice of Gary: Bryan Seisay

Voice of Judge: Kate Russell-Smith

Written by Shireen Shaikh

Presented by Thisisnow Productions

Director: Julia Stubbs

Set & Costume: Designer Willoughby Brow

Lighting Designer: Ben Batdorff

Technical Assistant & Operator: Danny Turner

Design Assistant: Minna Keenan

PR & Photography: Grey Swan