Little Deaths
“If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends” is the iconic quote from The Spice Girls. It asks a good question. If you truly want to know me, you need to understand just how important my friends are to me. Friendship, especially of the female variety, can be more powerful, more transformative than romantic love. More painful too. I think that we have all experienced a teenage friendship falling apart in a matter of days. But what about the friends that stick together — is it really that hard? What do we give up in the name of keeping a friendship and is that sacrifice worthwhile? Is it the right thing to do? Little Deaths, the debut play by Welsh playwright, Amy Powell Yeates, asks us all this and more.
This show spans 25 years and is focused on the push and pull that comes with growing up and growing out of friendships together. Arriving at the theatre, the vibe is very much set. Classic 90s tunes contrast with the set, a silk backdrop, pinned much like you would see in a funeral service. You might think that this would not be a funny piece. But Little Deaths knows how to play and have fun. The two besties in question, Charlie and Debs, take us through 1998 to about 2021 in flashes and moments.
Together, Rosa Robson (Debs) and Olivia Forrest (Charlie) show us how captivating and emotional platonic love can be. It seems that the chemistry is real between the actors offstage too. On the night I attended, about five to ten minutes into the performance, we had to have a show stop to address a lighting issue. But those few minutes were enough to hook us in with a member of the audience crying out, “I was ready to watch more!” Thankfully, it was an easy fix, allowing me to enjoy the work of lighting designer, David Doyle, which helped us jump through the years and dive deep into the lives and textures of the central characters.
For the entire 65 minutes, there are no topics left untouched as we bounce through the 90s all the way through to modern days. Bras, period pains, family brought together and torn further apart — it is a non-stop tour of just how tender and important it is to keep your loved ones close, even or perhaps especially when disagreements arrive. From wanting to know who was behind the breakup of The Spice Girls to unleashing your true feelings on your best friend’s partner, we have all been there and recognise those conversations.
However, while it is impressive that we covered the characters until their mid-30s and saw just how much had changed, I do wish we had got the chance to unpack some of the more subtle details between the characters. There were instances that might have been important, which were subsumed by changes in the main characters’ current lives. I am thinking especially when Deb’s period pain hints at a health diagnosis, which seems too subtle if it was just simply resolved across the years. I would have liked to have lingered a little longer to see a more complete, multi-faceted image of the characters rather than the sometimes too-quick flashes. But perhaps that approach reflects the reality of life with things that seemed big to us when we were 14 years of age appearing like just another part of our lives ten years on at 24.
“I know you better than you know yourself” is a repeated concept by both characters. We see how they both move in rhythm to their favourite dance song to being at the other ends of the table and then moving further and further apart. Claire O'Reilly does a fantastic job of directing the key players. This piece teaches us that friendship is the greatest love of all. The ending, like the start, is confusing and messy but that reflects what friendship can be like. Amy Powell Yeates takes us through the highs and lows. After seeing this show, trust me, you will want to call your best friend!
This show was reviewed on the 30th April 2025 at Theatre 503, London where it runs until the 3rd May 2025. Tickets available here: Theatre503 | Little Deaths
Review written by Mary Condon O'Connor
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Photo credit: Johan Persson
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