Loop zeroes in on obsession’s tight grip through Tanya-Loretta Dee’s unflinching script and Sophie Ellerby’s surgical direction. The writer, Dee, plays Bex with electric intensity. Loop asks if anyone truly escapes cycles that devour from within. This one-woman show blurs fantasy and reality, each moment more visceral than the last. Even before the story ignites, unease settles over the audience and refuses to leave. Bex’s journey pulses with dread and longing and there are some wild surprises on screen as you watch her story, trauma and longing unfold.
Bex’s world is spare but palpable. Some party shop shelves, a risky affair, and the quiet roar of longing. Silence becomes a restless adversary that suffocates the space. The outside world crashes in, a noisy, judgmental shadow just beyond reach. Every daily act is loaded, ordinary gestures twisted by tension until they spark. There are no big breakdowns; instead, the horror grows steadily.
Tanya-Loretta Dee’s performance is a pure beauty. Each silence is charged. Bex’s jokes land with a self-aware sting as we keep getting caught in the feverish rhythm of Bex’s unraveling mind. Rare scenes hint that wilder chaos might deepen the fever, yet restraint brings raw honesty. Dee pivots from sheer wit to heartbreak in a flash, always immediate. The connection is so strong the room feels electrified, the polarity is undeniable.
The Set Designs echo the turmoil within Bex. Mydd Pharo sets the stage with wild grass and battered mattresses. Cheng Keng’s lights flicker between gloom and violent red, mirroring the story’s psychological loops. Ellerby’s tight direction leaves every pause heavy, each movement necessary. Sometimes abstraction softens intensity, but mostly it sharpens the play’s ache. Each technical decision heightens Loop’s visceral impact, serving story over spectacle.
Inside the theatre, intimacy is total and the air charged with shared tension. Laughter spikes at moments of dark humor, quickly replaced by a heavy, communal silence. The crowd’s empathy for Bex is palpable, visible in every face. After the curtain falls, a certain unease lingers in the memory. If you look forward to seeing bold theatre, you will find a sweet spot here. Loop is a must-see for those who crave stories with bite!
