Simone Ellul and Pierpaolo Buzza in Love Secrets. Photo: Meraki Photography
I’m not gonna lie – I have never attended a live theatre improv session, and my only experience of improv has been through online streaming. I have been curious about Simone Ellul’s Improvizza workshops and productions for a while, and I know they are popular and well-attended among a crowd that is distinct from the regular faces I see at other, regular theatre productions.
I went to watch Love Secrets, at Theatre Next Door, not sure what to expect. This won’t be a technical review that follows the same structure as my usual ones, for two reasons. I’m not qualified for it, as the knowledge required is quite different from the usual criteria I apply. And also, because much of the skill and success – or otherwise – of an improv piece depends entirely on the actors, with no director, no script and very little contribution from stage, lights and so forth.
Table of Contents
Love Secrets details
| Play | Love Secrets |
| My rating | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) |
| Writer | n/a |
| Director | n/a |
| Executive producer | Improvizza |
| Cast | Simone Ellul, Pierpaolo Bozza |
| Dates | Run ended |
| Content warnings | Some language, sexual references |
| Venue | Theatre Next Door |
| Duration | 1.45 hours |
| Language | English |
Love Secrets improv – the concept
On the night I attended, the protagonists were Ellul and Italian improv actor Pierpaolo Buzza. The premise was that the narrative would revolve around the two of them as a couple, but that’s as far as pre-planning went. The details of this couple would be decoded by the audience. How, you might ask.
Upon arrival we were handed pen and paper by the usher and tasked with writing down one thing that we would never share with our partners. Each actor picked one note at random during the show and this little fact provided the two major narrative arcs.
The show’s structure
Before the show actually started, Buzza gave a short (and funny) run-through of what to expect and the actors gathered some more detail about the couple from the willing audience. Here’s what they ended up with: Ellul playing Emma, a psychotherapist specializing in couples’ counselling, who is also an excellent cook. Buzza playing John, an architect who loves riding horses, whose love language is touch, and who is frustrated that his wife listens to everyone except to him.
These all came from the audience, and provided the skeleton for the two characters. The rest would be up to the chosen ‘secrets’ and Ellul’s and Buzza’s expertise.
The cast
From what I have seen online, improv can very easily descend into silly nonsense of even one of the actors lacks the required skill. In those case, both actors showed their mettle from the very opening. Buzza and Ellul have excellent on-stage chemistry; they riffed off each other’s cues effortlessly.
The duo clearly follow the ‘yes, and…’ principle of improv but it’s very far from the safe and sanitised approach that improv legend Mick Napier believes it fosters. In fact, Buzza comes very close to straying from it on a couple of occasions – but he does it in a way that does not threaten either the production or Ellul’s performance.
The result was like watching an actual couple having a tense conversation, almost like eavesdropping. Which made it all the more delicious. The stage was a minimalist living room, but even here both actors made the most of it. A simple rug became the foil for constant comedy. An uncooperative sofa was cleverly folded into the narrative.
When the two secrets are revealed, they’re not the easiest to blend. He wants a threesome for their sixth wedding anniversary. While cosplaying Cinderella in Disneyland Paris. She, on the other hand, has been hiding the fact she is awaiting results of a biopsy. Awkward, but they make it work and even manage to inject both humor and pathos in the situation.
The one minor ‘miss’ I’d have liked to see included, since Buzza accepted it from an audience member, was John’s love for horses. Though, given the slant the topic took, I shudder to think what he might have made of that.
Love Secrets – verdict
This was a completely different night out at the theatre to what I’m used to. My choices tend to be much safer, and there’s nothing ‘safe’ about signing up for a piece when you have no idea what the narrative may be. Happily, Ellul and Buzza are real masters at this craft.
Their acting is wholly natural, so I had no difficulty buying into the spontaneity of their actions. Comedic elements were brought out naturally, without trying to force laughs from the audience. And when the serious parts came along, as audience we were already super invested in what was going to happen to Kohn and Emma. So we had no trouble following the shift in mood and tone along with the actors. Just like we would have done in real life.
If you have the chance to watch one of these shows, go for it. The element of audience participation is fun, as is the surprise. Information about upcoming events can be found here. Theatre Next Door is also hosting String V SPITTA on May 8 and 9 – not 100% impro but definitely adjacent.
For a different style of theatre, check out my recent Ġaħan ta’ Binġemma review.
Affiliate/Advertising Disclaimer: How I Carry Out Reviews
I received no payment for this Love Secrets review and I was offered press tickets. The opinions expressed here are purely my own and the producers had no input/control over what I wrote. There are no affiliate links contained within this page.To learn more about my policies and my reviewing process, visit my Affiliate/Advertising disclosure page. To better understand what the my rating means, check out the details of the star system.
