Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tickets and more information: https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/show/lipstick/
Booking until: 28th March 2020
Run time: 1hr 10 mins
Production photos by: Lidia Crisafulli

Lipstick follows two teenage boys, Tommy and Jordan, and the development of their friendship, while they bond over their parents relationships… and Tommy’s use of lipstick. Although the play highlights two fantastic performances, the plot becomes lost along the way and it’s hard to see what the whole point of it was.

Playing Tommy and Jordan are April Hughes and Helen Aluko. Both characters are the complete opposite to each other. Tommy is scared and anxious while Jordan is fearless and more bold. Both actresses convey these character traits really well, particularly April Hughes who delivers an emotionally charged monologue towards the end of the play about the struggles of living with anxiety.

The writing by Lily Shahmoon is strong in portraying the hardships of (what I imagine it’s like) being a young teenage boy. There’s some really funny moments in there too with the excellent zingers delivered by Jordan on the school trip to Cornwall. However, it took me a while to get what the point of the lipstick and the make up meant in terms of the story. I have since concluded it’s possibly an allusion to putting on a brave face? But maybe I should be thanking my English A Level for that.

Overall, Lipstick is a very enjoyable play with two fantastic performances that make this worth watching.

Until next time,