Every so often, a play comes along that is so visceral, so gut-wrenching, that the audience can’t quite cope. In 2023’s A Little Life, depictions of self-harm and abuse led to walk-outs. An abortion scene in 2024’s The Years resulted in men fainting in their seats. This year’s Guess How Much I Love You?, a beautiful, shattering play about a couple whose world falls apart at their baby’s 20-week scan, had a similar effect.
“We had 10 ‘show stops’,” says Rosie Sheehy, who has been nominated for an Olivier for her ferocious turn as a mother-to-be. These “show stops” – where the production is paused and the actors leave the stage, while an audience member is attended to – happened at the exact same moment each time, at the point in the play where it dawns on the crowd that something is very wrong. “You could feel the penny dropping quite severely for people,” says Sheehy. “One lady vomited at that moment, and a lot of people fainted.”
