The performances from the two leads, Anna and Lily, played by Lily Lourigan… were outstanding, their relationship felt real and genuine…
Lily Lourigan puts in a quietly-potent performance as Anna, everyone's favourite autistic-coded space nerd. She layers her performance with subtle strata of emotion and is an excellent reactor able to find sharp edges in her unspoken moments. I also have to admit that, when Anna finally had her queer establishing moment, it was a satisfying confirmation of the character's journey.
It features the most moving on stage relationship of The Fringe by tremendous up and coming actors Melissa Schmidt and Lily Lourigan.
Bella Manningham (Lourigan) conveys her character’s creeping sense of dread throughout the play, fueling the suspense.
Lourigan’s performance in particular drew out that feeling. She played Bella with a clear surety of her own unsurety. A woman being driven mad by her husband can only take back the reins of her life so quickly, and Lourigan kept that reality in check, even when given her lighthouse in the fog in the form of Inspector Rough. Joe Dolan’s gentle but urgent demeanor as Inspector Rough complemented both Manninghams well—Lourigan and Jason Will could play off each other to heighten scenes to their breaking points.
During the post-show talkback, Lily Lourigan—who plays Bella Manningham—said of one such scene, “I’m not even sure how many times I say ‘Go,’ ‘Go now,’ or ‘You must go.’”