Significant Other
by Shireen Shaikh
World Premiere produced by Thisisnow Productions
Directed by Julia Stubbs
They say “If looks could kill” for a reason. Because looks can definitely kill.
I think that’s why they call it Cupid’s arrow.
It sounds all sweet. Until it’s not.
SIGNIFICANT OTHER follows the parallel journeys of Malika, a teen social media influencer, and Victor, a travelling salesman in his fifties.
Malika is being stalked by an obsessive ex, though she is reluctant to face up to it. Victor has been carrying around a dummy for far too long, in place of his wife, who left years ago.
A weekend of heading for the club is Malika’s answer to everything, whilst Victor daydreams of his long service award. But their weekend plans are about to be upended…
What will it take for each of them to live in the present and leave behind the dynamics of a past relationship?
Significant Other is a new intergenerational play about disconnection and confronting lost dreams, with touches of dark comedy and an unexpected denouement.
Shireen Shaikh is a lawyer, and this is her debut play. She developed the script for Significant Other on a ‘write your first full-length play’ course at Theatre 503. She has just self-published her first novel, Falling.
Cast
Charlie Buckland. Christie Fewry. Leila McCalla. Kate Russell-Smith. Bryan Seisay. (Victor cover: Kit Smith).
Creative Team
Director: Julia Stubbs | Set & Costume Design: Willoughby Brow | Lighting Design: Ben Batdorff | Technical Assistant & Operator: Danny Turner | Design Assistant: Minna Keenan. | Produced by Thisisnow Productions.
Running time
90 minutes with no interval.
Performance dates *World Premiere
Tuesday 18 – Saturday 29 August at 7.30pm
Jack Studio Theatre, London
Content information & age guidance
This production contains adult themes with scenes of physical violence and stalking.
Suitable for Adults, 16+
Reviews
“Shireen Shaikh’s debut play Significant Other explores ambition, loneliness, identity and self-deception through two very different lives, brought together in an absorbing theatrical journey…
In Significant Other, debut playwright and City lawyer Shireen Shaikh presents two ambitious souls navigating the gap between reality and the stories they tell themselves. One is Malika, a teenage female black social media influencer chasing relevance and success in Croydon; the other is Victor, a white middle-aged travelling salesman for “Tools R Us” haunted by the collapse of his marriage, a trans child and the disappointments of a life that never quite matched its promise. Their parallel journeys explore ambition, isolation, failed relationships and the seductive power of self-deception. What could have been an awkward juxtaposition instead develops into an absorbing and often moving piece of theatre. The play shifts deftly between comedy and pathos, allowing the real and the imagined to blur in ways that are at times unsettling but frequently compelling. While its themes are contemporary, particularly in its exploration principally of online identity and social media culture, touching on trans identity, it is ultimately a story about relationships and the universal desire to be seen and understood…
The performances are uniformly strong…
The intimate surroundings of the Jack Studio Theatre serve the work admirably. There is nowhere for either performers or audience to hide, creating a sense of immediacy that enhances both the humour and emotional intensity of the piece. Fringe theatre often relies on ingenuity rather than spectacle, and this production demonstrates how effectively a talented cast and intelligent writing can engage an audience without elaborate staging”
LONDON DAILY DIGITAL
“Two separate stories, two different generations, and two very different experiences run alongside one another in Significant Other, creating a thought-provoking and unusual piece of theatre…
We are welcomed into the world of Victor, played by the fabulous understudy Kit Smith (Trials of a Gentleman). Smith is the consummate professional, delivering a stellar performance as a particularly strange and troubled character…
Alongside Victor’s story is Malika, played by Christie Fewry, a young social media influencer with 10,000 followers who is busy promoting a make-up brand to her online audience. Fewry brings Malika an infectious optimism, cheekiness and plenty of sass…
Behind the carefully curated social-media image, Malika is experiencing something much darker. She is being bullied and emotionally abused by her boyfriend, who is played with real menace and an uncomfortable edge by Bryan Seisay…
The two narratives complement each other well, allowing the audience to move between very different worlds while gradually recognising the similarities in the characters’ experiences…
The combination of strong performances, two compelling storylines and some genuinely uncomfortable subject matter makes for an engaging and thought-provoking production.”
LONDONTHEATRE1
“A middle-aged man losing his grip on reality and a teen influencer are at the heart of this show which explores appearances, human disconnection and pathological denial…
This ninety-minute drama directed by Julia Stubbs leaves the audience with questions around how a capitalist society can better protect the vulnerable…
The black box performance theatre offers an intimate and flexible space for the parallel stories to unfold with a minimalist set design. Kate Russell-Smith plays both Victor’s ex-wife as well as other minor characters, showing incredible versatility and undeniable stage presence. Kit Smith shines as Victor as Bryan Seisay makes his theatre debut as Malika’s ex, and Fewry’s fiery performance really captivates the audience.”
SOUTHWARK NEWS
“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…
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 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…
an engaging and poignant exploration of past relationships, and how they continue to torment the present.”
LONDON PUB THEATRES MAGAZINE
In Rehearsal
Photography by Grey Swan
It’s like a dream.
Reviews for the latest productions by Julia Stubbs
“The language is poetic in its faltering bursts. The actor’s performance is assured. There is sincerity and heart in this well-intentioned piece dealing with a troubling subject… an honest, poetic, challenging and passionate tale sensitively told.” Just saw this… on Saving Myself
★★★★ “Set in a boxing ring, this powerful two-hander follows Welsh teens as they navigate identity, family, and growing up, creating a vivid, emotional world that’s both intimate and deeply affecting… Excellent” Everything Theatre on Still Here
“Still Here is not just a play – it’s an experience that lingers in the heart long after you leave the theatre. Mari Lloyd’s work stands as a testament to the enduring power of Welsh storytelling… The direction by Julia Stubbs deserves particular praise for its ability to balance the play’s moments of levity with its heavier emotional beats.” The Edit on Still Here
★★★★ “Simon Longman and Julia Stubbs have done a masterful job of portraying women looking in on what makes an ‘ordinary’ life with ‘ordinary’ people and, not being able to achieve that, finding solace in each other.” London Pub Theatres on Sparks
★★★★ “With a talented cast that shines, and choreography that shimmers as time and place shift effortlessly, there is a fluidity of language and motion and ideas.” London Pub Theatres on What I Really Think of My Husband – Thomas Hardy and His Wives
