Content warning: this review contains references to suicide. If you require support, please contact the Samaritans through their website, or on 116 123.
★★
Produced by New York-based company Trophy Wife and performed by Grayce Toon and Johncarlo Zani, Failsafe follows Ivy and Jones, who are both described as being “dead-end, dead-beats” in their mid-twenties. Ivy wants to take her own life but doesn’t want to die alone. Jones is happy to die with her in exchange for sex—he doesn’t want to die a virgin. As you can see, this already sounds pretty bleak, but it gets even darker when after multiple failed suicide attempts (and romantic encounters) their relationship reaches boiling point and they both meet a tragic end.
Failsafe is billed as a “pitch black comedy” but it lacks the laughs and depth required to be one. First and foremost, no matter how many jokes and sarcastic remarks you put in a show like this, the subject matter of suicide in young people, to put it bluntly, is difficult to find funny. The plot itself feels rather disposable with not much weight to it. It is two rather fragile characters, going from one suicide attempt to another whilst having sex in between.
Instead of breaking down a taboo subject it almost parodies and trivialises one. It takes the “will they, won’t they” trope of a love story and attempts to awkwardly shoe-horn it into a mental health narrative. The humour is predictable too. In order for something to be a black comedy it must shock and use humour to drive a difficult subject matter forward—the humour and topic felt very disjointed and even the characters didn’t seem to believe in the comments or “jokes” they were making.
Toon and Zani do save the show overall. They perform well and despite neither of their characters being likeable, you become somewhat invested because of the commitment they have to their roles and performances. However, at times, when they come together as a unit, it feels rather contrived and overly scripted. The joint interactions often don’t flow cogently nor with much conviction.
Structurally, there are a few moments that just don’t make sense. For instance, when Zani just randomly starts speaking to the audience as if it were a one-man stand-up show for absolutely no reason. The ending equally feels messy and rushed with the re-introduction of an off-stage character who holds little importance in the narrative until that point. The show’s length doesn’t help this. It has a 90-minute run time which feels slightly dragged out—the show could pack more of a punch if its run time were reduced.
Along with Toon and Zani’s overall performances, the staging is also an enjoyable aspect of the show. Both actors use minimal props and improvise heavily but that works incredibly well. A wide array of physical and contemporary movement is used throughout; this helps the audience navigate the storyline with a bit more clarity. This also allows more sensitive scenes to be shown with care and caution—kudos for that. The lighting also aligns with the narrative and sets an appropriate mood.
So, Failsafe is a show that has two strong lead actors, in the form of Grayce Toon and Johncarlo Zani. It uses a blend of contemporary movement, improvisation and good lighting to help translate the narrative onto the stage. However, its extensive run time as well as its lack of sharp humour and complex depth prevent it from being a successful “black comedy” that packs a punch.
Failsafe will run until 24 August at Meeting Room at Dovecot Studios as part of Edinburgh Fringe.
Words by Cory Gourley
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