A story about online dating comes to Theatre N16
Girl vs Dating is a 30 minute short play, written by and starring Laura Dean about the perils of online dating. It’s the second production from Mull it Over and can be seen at Theatre N16 in Balham until 26 February.
The play follows one young woman’s attempt to set up her online dating profile while her ever present Ego voices her internal fears of not being good enough. How should she describe herself? What are her interests? Should she pretend to have volunteered in Africa to seem more interesting? Which photo should she use? What distance should she search to avoid coming across her ex?
The play begins in darkness with film projection showing people talking about their dating disasters. The lights come up to show a girl in her bedroom. She sits on her bed with her laptop open while her Ego strides around the room pointing out all her flaws. Screen shots are projected on the wall behind as she considers her responses to the many questions posed by the dating site.
Girl is played by Laura Dean; her Ego is played by Beth Lilly. They work well together in this two-woman theatre show, which gives a realistic take on the challenges of presenting yourself online in the hope of finding a date and the fear of never meeting anyone.
If you’ve ever been on an awful date, this play might make you feel a bit better. Maybe you’ll even meet your next date at the theatre.
Reviewed by Rhiannon Evans
Photo: The Monday Club Scratch Night
