James McDermott’s new play takes us back to the Covid-19 lockdowns in both form and content. Set in 2020-21, this taut domestic two-hander recalls the monologues and duologues that were streamed or given socially distanced performances when theatre was brought to its knees. Four years on, the industry is still counting the cost of Covid yet precious few plays are directly dealing with the global emergency that changed all our lives.
The title refers to the vaccine that divides NHS worker Anne (Kacey Ainsworth) and her anti-vaxxer husband Don (Liam Tobin) yet also alludes to their verbal and physical altercations. Arriving by throwing shapes to the Eurythmics, the couple party about before slumping in front of the television and into a clearly well-worn routine: boozing and winding each other up.
