Any relationship ‘worth its salt’ is able to endure during the bad times, as well as the good. But if the foundations are ‘uneven’, if total honesty hasn’t been there from the start and one person always has the most ‘leverage’, it creates problems eventually… Written and directed by Lucy Linger, Off Roading opens with Steve (Owen Frost) talking about what’s on his mind. As he reminisces, we’re taken back to the beginning of his relationship with Jane (Elise Verney) which happened by chance. What with the ‘local lad’ meeting the worldly-wise, ‘free spirit’ in a Cardiff pub, in different hands this could be a Richard Curtis-esque comedy. But Off Roading isn’t that sort of play.

As with all couples, there is the honeymoon period where everything is fine and despite their many differences, each person loves the other unconditionally. They even start to incorporate the ‘strengths’ of the other, with Steve trying to be more ‘spontaneous’ and willing to travel, while Jane puts down roots and willing to acknowledge they are in a serious relationship – something’s she’s resisted from the start. Eventually, the passage of time leads to some ‘bumps along the road’, but then there is a ‘leave of absence’ from Jane, with Steve not knowing if something’s happened to her or if she’s left him. Neither ends up being true, but the news is bad all the same – Jane has been diagnosed with cancer…

The genesis of the play sprang from Linger’s own experience with the same diagnosis, but imagining what it would be like for a couple in their late 20s, whose relationship wasn’t on ‘sure footing’. Through Jane’s own back story (which we are eventually privy to), her reluctance to make plans for the future is rooted in her family history, which colours everything. But for all of her worldly experience, Jane is new to the notion of ‘love’ – of the willingness to understand another person’s point of view and how they would react regards the absence of communication.

Anyone who has known someone with cancer knows the most tiring thing for them with their limited energy is making others happy or feel better about things, and on that score the play hits upon that kernel of truth. Had the roles been reversed and Steve had been the one with the diagnosis, the play would, again, have a different dynamic. In any case, much of the play is told from Steve’s point of view, so even if we don’t 100% agree with everything he says and does, we understand where he is coming from – his life is an open book.

Linger’s play strikes the balance with organic humour and well-observed behaviour,
and the chemistry between the leads is palpable, making the audience more emotionally invested in the later developments. Eschewing the ‘carpe diem’ tropes that sometimes accompanies such narratives, the onus in the play on communication and what actions count as ‘love’ makes a refreshing change and are important topics in their own right.

© Michael Davis 2024

Off Roading runs at the Old Red Lion Theatre until 14th September.