I might have missed it, but it wasn’t quite clear to me precisely why Sophia returned to a place, and more particularly, a person, she had good reasons to move away from. Perhaps the play wanted a departure from the ‘usual’ reason why two people who haven’t seen each other for an extended period are suddenly thrown together – it’s usually someone’s funeral or some other substantial family occasion. Ostensibly accepting (or was it giving? – I genuinely don’t recall) an invitation to go for a walk with former lover Charlie (Phoebe Strickland), she was even warned what could (and, as it transpires, does) happen as a result of literally and figuratively retracing familiar steps: steps that made her go away in the first place.
It was easy to feel some sympathy for the actors, dressed as characters ready for an outdoor hike in ‘normal’ British weather conditions, whilst the audience was largely dressed as one would expect on the cusp of yet another heatwave in the summer of 2026 (at the time of writing, it is on track to surpass the historic 1976 benchmark temperatures) in a theatre that only has electric fans for ventilation. I quickly warmed, so to speak, to the show’s time-hopping narrative, which allowed the cast to change out of waterproof jackets and into something resembling summer school uniforms.
Whilst I still think, and probably always will, time-hopping back and forth across years makes a show unnecessarily complicated, it works reasonably well here. The dynamics of what was sometimes an awkward and fraught relationship came to light in revealing dialogue, but as with many expressions of youthful love, intense feelings and emotions do not always result in living a lifelong dream. Indeed, almost everything in this show flows as expected – there are moments of euphoria and moments of conflict.
Talk of hares came across as fairly benign, though an act of animal cruelty was totally unnecessary, and, quite frankly, should have been reported with the perpetrator charged. (No actual animals were harmed in the course of this production.)
Not everything was convincing, at least not to me – in a late scene, presumably set in the closing weeks of Year 13, Charlie asks Sophia to go to the school prom with her: the invitation is refused, apparently because it would effectively mean coming out. But school pupils are savvier than they are given credit for in this show – however they may have tried to play ‘cool’ at school, there are ways of working out what is ‘really’ happening between people. Still, the limitations and apprehensions felt by people who identify as LGBTQ+ were palpable. Dramatic tension was raised by way of an often-awkward atmosphere between the ex-lovers, for whom it seemed the 1980 Joy Division song ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ seemed apt. An uneven but intriguing production.
Review by Chris Omaweng
Three years ago, Sophia decided to leave. Now she returns, having graduated and outgrown her hometown. Charlie decided to stay; living with her mum and working as a barista in the centre of town. Set against the Oxfordshire prairies, Shallow Resting Place follows the reunion of these two exes as they retrace a familiar hike.
Charlie – Phoebe Strickland
Sophia – Annie Davison
Writer/Director/Producer – Lauren Carter
Sound Designer – Daniel Bainbridge
Dramaturg – Tristan Jackson-Pate
SHALLOW RESTING PLACE
The Hope Theatre, 10 to 12 August 2026
Presented as part of North Sapph-Fest 2026
