Shortlisted for Theatre503’s International Playwriting Award in 2020, Safaa Benson-Effiom’s debut masterpiece rewires audience perceptions of marriage and love through an emotionally charged lens of grief and loss.

Daniel (Holt) and Sylvia (Kassaraté), an interracial couple married for 15 years, grieve the loss of their only son Andrew (Chinchen). We witness their spiritless interactions as they confine themselves to their living room, fearing to go upstairs where their son committed suicide. Ignoring calls and visits from loved ones, they deal with this unthinkable loss alone – a choice that proves to be the impetus of this suffocating drama. Endearing flashbacks of Andrew’s youthful energy throw them into bouts of crying and silence as they scrutinise and obsess over his final conversations and actions, hoping to identify any clues to their failure as parents. A blame game ensues as they tusk and grapple with how each may have contributed to their son’s fatal end.

Sylvia, strong and highly disciplined, had pushed Andrew to go the extra mile academically, while Daniel, easy-going and indifferent, advised him to take it easy. The parental approaches collide, and Andrew experiences the effects: his worsening anxiety and guilt, believing himself to be the source of his parents’ marital conflict, is sincerely explored, where he discovers that he was an unplanned child, being the reason why his parents had to marry. Preparing for Andrew’s funeral, they accept that they fell out of love with each other, but also reveal that he was their true happiness. In a final farewell, Andrew’s letters express his desire for them to grow to love each other again once he is out of the picture. The irony is almost too much to bear.

Benson-Effiom’s pensive and provocative writing does not chastise the parents but allows us to empathise with both sides. The layers of devasting discovery are deliciously written, and this calibre of morally ambiguous and authentic writing couldn’t be timelier in a world where jumping to conclusions or cancelling someone is like an instinctive human reaction. Holt and Kassaraté’s consuming, electric energy leave the audience reeling, while Emeline Beroud’s set is cramped and claustrophobic, mirroring their relationship. There are effortless comedic interludes amidst the silence, episodes of crying, laughing and arguing, reflecting how real people grieve – director Justina Kehinde should be applauded. Til Death Do Us Part is a revitalising production celebrating the humanity in grieving, loving and losing.

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