I Want To Be Happy

Nicola is pulling a double duty ushering at Circa Theatre tonight – Verbatim at 6 o’clock and I Want To Be Happy at 8 o’clock. I didn’t much fancy the first one, so went along later to see catch the second show.

As we didn’t have much time between shows, we decided to dine in-house at Circa’s restaurant. Their choice is somewhat limited, but they do do a tasty plate of spicy dumplings, so that’s usually our default option…but wait! What’s this? It’s all changed, and they have a new caterer, with a new menu. Looks like dumplings are off the menu, boys! Also off the menu is tap beer, as they’ve removed the pump. Ah well…we had salmon mousse and fish’n’chips instead. It wasn’t brilliant.

The play has two central characters, a scientist and a guinea pig. Both can speak, but neither can understand each other. They try to communicate, but largely fail. They are both trapped, but in different ways, and are trying to break free. Paul, the scientist, is undergoing a divorce, and the play becomes a metaphor for his marriage. Binka, the guinea pig, is trapped in her cage. During the course of the play she has two mates, and some children, as she is part of the breeding programme. Without giving too much away, she is ultimately left alone. As is Paul, whose wife leaves him. He tells Binka this in various monologues, but Binka can’t really understand. All she wants is to find love, and to escape into the open air and see the mountains once more. On one of her escapes she encounters a fearsome cat, so learning that freedom isn’t necessarily a universally good thing.

Whilst the subject matter is serious and thought-provoking, there are moments of hilarity – mostly provoked by the guinea pig costumes and the animatronics used to show the escape and flight scenes, which lightened the mood somewhat. Definitely worth watching if you get the chance!