Lungs - The Old Vic

I haven't previously  seen either Matt Smith or Claire Foy live on stage, although I am of course familiar with both of their works on screen, so I was interested to see Lungs, which is  short, two-person play, about a couple dealing with the practical and ethical issues of whether to have a child, in particular the ecological impact of doing so.

It's often funny, but ultimately pretty bleak.It shows the couple making compromises - with their principals, with their ambitions and even their relationship, and trying, if not always succeeding, to  do the right thing while also trying to keep the things they want from life.

Both actors give excellent performances, although neither character is entirely likeable - and while they remain a couple I was left with the nagging feeling that they might both have been happier apart. I also felt that the play started to falter a little towards the end, when we jumped forwards decades.

However, despite having somewhat mixed feelings about the play itself,  it was an opportunity to see two excellent actors, and to see them in a production where the lack of other performers, or props, or anything but the most minimal set, meant that  the focus was very much on the actors, and they rose to the challenge

The performance I saw was the last matinee, but had the run not already ended I would be suggesting that you see it, if you could!