In some respects, this is a tale almost as old as time itself. As a quote rightly or wrongly attributed to Mark Twain puts it, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything”. There’s much laughter to be had in this production as this play takes a deep dive into the consequences of being creative and economical with the truth. The consequences, broadly speaking, are predictable, but here, it is affirming and even empowering for the audience, able to see where the narrative arc is going, and finding pleasure and satisfaction when their hypotheses are confirmed.
The show goes some way to dispel some urban myths about the younger generation: I have to admit, given the amount of written communication through emails, social media and instant messaging these days, I was surprised to see and hear so many voice telephone calls being made and received. Literal love letters, however, were a step too far, and probably too expensive anyway given the price of postage stamps these days. Further, not every date is initiated by using an app and a ‘swipe right’. It’s not always clear how the two lads who houseshare discover their miscellaneous off-stage dates – the entire play is set in their front room and kitchen, with doors leading to the bedrooms. There’s another play out there in which the stage is on a revolve.
As it is, Keelan Kember’s script ensures there are more than sufficient excuses for characters to leave one another alone to enable the kind of more private conversations that might otherwise have happened in the bedrooms, which are – with suspension of disbelief in mind – used almost entirely for bedroom activities. For such a contemporary play, the techniques to bring the story to life are almost refreshing analogue: there’s more video technology (which might have been used, for instance, for video calls, or social media posts where characters share their dating experiences) in the touring production of War Horse (set in World War One) than there is in this play. Cashel (also Kember) even reads a paper magazine while trying to look nonchalant in front of Eloise (Nell Tiger Free) rather than scrolling through a mobile app. There are soliloquies that allow the audience access to characters’ inner thought processes. But no, there’s no point comparing them to Shakespeare: they’re not speaking them in verse.
Parts of the mainstream media have effectively demonised younger people as workshy, obsessed about equating the stresses and strains of everyday life with mental ill health, preoccupied with pronouns, working from home, if at all, and how to get to ‘net zero’. The young characters here are getting on with their lives whilst holding down jobs. Nobody suggests therapy when Cashel splits with his long-term girlfriend, or for any other reason. Mistakes are made, sometimes with hilarious ramifications, but there are no crusades against anyone to have them ‘cancelled’ or made a ‘persona non grata’ on social media or by any other means.
There’s much to be said here about seeking help and support from one’s friends – which isn’t, of course, universally applicable because some problems genuinely require external interventions. If anything, this vibrant and lively production provides some breezy escapism from such a troublesome world. There might even, if I may be bold enough to say so, grounds to adapt this play into a situation comedy television series.
Review by Chris Omaweng
Delving into the chaos of modern dating and the struggles of getting over a breakup, Thanks for Having Me is a lighthearted and upbeat comedy theatre show that centres on two mismatched housemates with wildly different takes on love: Cashel, still reeling from heartbreak, and his best friend Honey, who avoids commitment at all costs. The show paints a heartfelt picture of what it really means to ‘move on’, through a series of awkward, touching and universally relatable moments.
CAST
Adeyinka Akinrinade – Maya
Keelan Kember – Cashel
Kedar Williams-Stirling – Honey
Nell Tiger Free – Eloise
CREATIVE TEAM
Director – Monica Cox
Writer – Keelan Kember
Producer – Kit Bromovsky
Set Designer – Ellie Wintour
Sound and Lighting Designer – Matt Karmios
Associate Designer – Matt Gibson
Artwork Designer – Malcolm Reid
THANKS FOR HAVING ME
Riverside Studios
7 to 26 April 2025
