Lovesong

by Abi Morgan

Lovesong intertwines a couple in their 20s with the same man and woman a lifetime later. Their past and present selves collide in this haunting and beautiful tale of togetherness. All relationships have their ups and downs; the optimism of youth becomes the wisdom of experience. Love is a leap of faith.

Genres: Plays, Theatre

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 10, 2012

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovesong is a lovely, moving play with some seriously beautiful writing.
This was donated to our bookshop and i picked it up on a complete whim and i'm so pleased i did :)

[Seren · Rating 4 out of 5]

AHHH there are some absolutely stunning bits of writing in this. Like seriously, fucking stunning.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A play told by one couple in two different points in their lives. It was a bittersweet and moving story that portrays everyday moments and problems that a couple may face in their lives. It was at times a little confusing when reading, due to the persistent exits and entrances of the characters becoming muddled. I would like to watch this performed for the clarity of the characters and their moments on stage may become clearer and more poignant.

[Dorottya · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a bittersweet and heartwarming/wrenching play about the passing of time and how a relationship with actual problems and conflicts evolve... and how deep, underlying love can make you survive. It lacked a bit of punch for me, but it was a good play nevertheless.

[Lucy Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful portrayal of a 'real' relationship. A love story that isn't perfect and has changed and adapted with what life had thrown at it. That's what makes this story so powerful, it's truthful.

[GTGriffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and moving play. Would love to direct this one day.

[Clive Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully evocative happy sad illustration of a long marriage. I saw the play, but reading it was even more moving.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This play is a brilliant portrayal of the love shared between two individuals. How it is bittersweet and unfortunate but also fills you with a particular warmth. I think being able to see the characters both in the 20s/30s and then later on in life was really effective. This is because when they were on stage together you can see the parallels between their situations and how often young love corresponds to the feelings when you are about to lose a loved one.

In particular I enjoyed Billy's monologue about how he will live after Maggie passes. It was a heart wrenching truth that after we lose our loved ones we often lose a lot of love and care for ourselves. Even though he knows that he will give up on a lot of things he will never stop brushing his teeth, the one thing keeping him rooted in normality after such a heavy loss.

Overall, a very engaging and easy read that uses its characters in very clever ways. I think it would be more effective to see the play purely because of how much content is based in the movement and staging.

[Melanie Duke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovesong was really sweet and touching — I loved the way it showed a couple at two different stages of life. The story has some beautiful, emotional moments that really stick with you.

That said, the language and sexual content just weren’t my thing, and it took a while for the story to really get going. Once it did, though, it was heartfelt and endearing. I liked it overall, even if it wasn’t totally my style.

[Rosanna Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so glad I found this play again; I read and watched the Frantic Assembly production for the first time some ten years ago. It's fascinating how revisiting a story will prompt different reflections depending on how we have seen and experienced the world thus far. It leaves the heart feeling joy, sadness, bittersweet longing, frustration, tenderness and nostalgia. Beautifully moving.

[Socpopath · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did enjoy this story and the way that it dealt with death and the inevitability of age taking its toll. However personally I did not find the characters very compelling or the overall story, if this seems like something you would enjoy then I would recommend it to you, if not then don't bother. 2.4/5.

[Jim Boylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

echoes resound between the cave walls of a couple’s past and future lives

This is a play about the past and present lives of a long time married couple - it is complex, haunting and has an ingenious structure- restrained and real but very moving

[Rebecca Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This play is absolutely beautiful would love to see this on stage one day

[Emma Kai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly the most beautiful play I've seen.

[Millie · Rating 4 out of 5]

so cute <3

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

just wow. so moving. it's like a ballet of dialogue, pain, and intimacy

[Fantaghirò · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this. The dialogue is often minimalistic and I couldn't always picture in my head what was happening. It's obviously the kind of play that you need to see, not read, in order to really appreciate it. Loved the "I cream my face" speech, though.

[Lucas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came to this as a reading for a friend's wedding - which perhaps may be an unusual route to such a work. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it immensely, and, reportedly, the reading was well received. One aspect that the reading failed to capture, and that I found challenging to imagine while reading the play, was quite how physical the piece should be. The various adverts for various companies performances of Lovesong available on Youtube were very helpful in this regard, and gave me a real appreciation for how layered and technical the scenes actually were.

[Hall's Bookshop · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came to this as a reading for a friend's wedding - which perhaps may be an unusual route to such a work. Nonetheless, I enjoyed it immensely. One aspect that the reading at the wedding failed to capture, and that I found challenging to imagine while reading the play, was quite how physical the piece should be. The various adverts for various companies performances of Lovesong available on Youtube were very helpful in this regard, and gave me a real appreciation for how layered and technical the scenes actually were.

[Daisy Leather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This made me cry.

I imagine watching Frantic Assembly do this would be something very special.

A story about an ordinary couple - flitting between their 20 year old and 70 year old selves, reflecting on a lifetime together. Not always easy, not always happy, but together no matter the pain and the cost.

Beautiful. Haunting.

[Loni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Filmic, scenic, great basis for a physical theatre production. Wonderful idea of interweaving couples. Great that the mundane is turned into a truly relatable story and process of life.

[Oleta Forde · Rating 5 out of 5]

Had to study this for AS Drama. I loved the script and the performance I saw was amazing, well worth seeing.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scheduled for a call back for this beautiful play at New Village Arts in July. Jessica Tandy-esque.