This past weekend I was able to attend Love/Sick, a play written by John Cariani and directed by Bates’s own Martin Andrucki. Love/Sick is a series of nine miniature plays centered on the highs and lows of love.
The best way to describe the play’s arc is from the words of the playwright himself: “[S]ince each relationship is more advanced than the previous relationship [in Love/Sick], a larger arc emerges and the individual plays work together to create a satisfying whole that chronicles the life cycle of a typical relationship from meeting through divorce… And afterwards.”
The first play, titled “Obsessive Impulsive,” starring Emily Diaz ’23 and Brandon Chilson ’23, begins with an incredible make-out scene that allowed the viewers to know what they’re in for: plays about real, raw, love.
Love/Sick was witty, intelligent and delightful to watch. The first half of the plays, before intermission, were extremely lighthearted and filled with humor. I was especially charmed by “What?!” performed by actors Noah Pott ’22 and Lucas Allen ’22.
In “What?!” one of the characters, Andy (Pott), has a disorder that, when he becomes overwhelmed, parts of his nervous system begin to malfunction.
This becomes known when his boyfriend Ben (Lucas Allen) tells him that he loves him. Due to the stress of the moment Andy is actually unable to hear him because with the stress, his hearing leaves him.
The mini play was so lighthearted and the crowd was in fits of laughter as the Ben screams “I love you!” and Andy replies “What?” repeatedly. The play highlighted how hard it can be to open up to another person, even if it is someone you love, and how hard it is to take those first steps.
The second half of Love/Sick was more focused on the loss of love, as the playwright mentioned in his note that was cited above. We saw plays on cheating, on wanting different things out of life, on losing oneself in their family, and on reconnecting with a past lover.
Although the plays after intermission were definitely more depressing, and rightfully so, they allowed me to see how complicated love can be and how easily it can flit away from you in time.
The mini play that resonated with me the most in the second half was “Forgot” with Kush Sharma ’23 and Olivia Dimond ’22. In the play, Jill (Dimond) realizes on her birthday that she is about to miss the window for having children.
The play highlights how easy time slips away and how ideas of what you want out of life can change over time. As a woman who one day hopes to have children myself, it was a moment of realizing that you cannot plan life and how you or your partners wants out of life can, and probably will, change over time.
In conclusion, I loved this play. It was witty yet provoking and was able to resonate with all audiences as all people have experienced love or the loss of love, in one way or another. A huge congratulations to all students and actors who were a part of this production, especially our own contributing writer, Olivia Dimond ’22!