Justin Hopper – Bedbug – Drayton Arms #Offies 2024 #NewNoms: MOST PROMISING NEW PLAYWRIGHT
Category:
Plays: Most Promising New Playwright
Year of Nomination:
2024
Nominee:
Nominee
Individual:
Justin Hopper
Production:
Bedbug
Venue:
Drayton Arms Theatre
Photographer:
Steve Lippitt
Loved this play, had me gripped all the way through. Fantastic script and superb acting.
A great show very well written and thought provoking.
I thought a number of things in this play were excellent in and of themselves: the plotting and pacing, the characters and their development, various individual moments/speeches, the rich linguistic play, the humor. But really what I thought was so great was that all of these aspects were working so well in concert with one another, to such integrated purpose. The play was harrowing and life-affirming and created a visceral and sensitive portrait of depression and anxiety. I thought the ending hit its notes with impeccable tone and timing, both. It was very moving.
A very good production!
Great play on a quite dark idea but delivered deftly and with humour. A good story with an excellent script that kept up the pace to the end.
A delicate and punchy play that balances somewhere between Pinter and ‘Withnail and I’. Pacy, with strong writing that gives the actors plenty of space to make their own powerful interpretation of the text.
Saw this show two weeks ago at the Drayton Arms and still thinking about it! Intensely layered script, had me laughing and crying in the space of 90 short minutes. As someone that has struggled with mental health, this has been one of the most genuine and realistic depictions of depression I’ve ever seen portrayed. Wish I had been able to get tickets to see it again, as it was so detailed that I’m sure there is loads I missed out on first time round!
Really compelling writing. Held my attention. Very witty, pacey, and thrilling.
Beautiful play. A lovely little puzzle that revealed the truth in a satisfying and optimistic way. The subject matter affects many of us and the play was constructed in a way that really illuminated the leads torment. People should see this.
I thought there were a lot of twists to the story and I got it wrong in the end. So a great plot.
Really enjoyable play. Convincing portrayal of mental illness, which avoided stereotypes and was genuinely moving.
Had me scratching my had and discussing what we had just seen all the way home. Impressively written.
Truly claustrophobic piece of work that
Explores coercive control as a theatrical device. Great performances and tight writing.
Plays about mental illness are pretty ubiquitous but so many focus on personal biography and narratives focused tightly on individual redemption. “How cold water swimming every Thursday with my auntie Shiela saved me” and the like.
Until i experienced Bedbug, I hadn’t seen a play tackle depression in the round so effectively. Its success lies in the simplicity and universality of its premise and tremendous skill of Hopper in realising it. If depression could talk, what would it say? I, and I’m sure other sufferers from the disease, found huge solace in asking and answering such a bold question,
Bedbug is a wonderful play. It not only moved me but also led me to understand there was a subplot happening (the kind of which is normally only achieved on screen) which created endless debate between me and my friends, who had not spotted it themselves, but retrospectively agreed it was a possibility! Such clever writing and I was completely gripped throughout. I will be looking out for future plays by Justin Hopper!
Bedbug – a new play by Justin Hopper
A well written and sensitively acted play that was occasionally difficult to sit through, given the issues of depression, controlling behaviour and abuse. We watched it during the run and it’s a performance that will stay with us for a long time. A lovely little theatre space, too, at the Drayton Arms Theatre on Old Brompton Road. Congratulations to Justin and his cast, the crew and all involved in this intimate show.
This is a very thought-provoking and relevant play. The dialogue is beautifully written and the plotting kept me guessing until the very end.
This was a very cleverly written play with a good twist at the end. I was absolutely gripped
A well thought out play with many layers and strands to consider. The show is pacey and drip feeds interesting thoughts on where to go next without being pushy or arrogant. The crux of the play is gently shown, not told, which leaves the audience time to reflect on the meaning.
Bedbug is a thought provoking exploration of depression and control. I have continued to think about it since seeing it some days ago – is the Wise Man real, or just a figment of Sally’s imagination? The play deserves a much wider audience, definitely to be recommended
No other piece of theatre has had the same impact on us this year
Bedbug invited you into deepest parts of relationships and our own psyches, whilst maintaining a lightness of touch and managing more than a few big laughs. We felt very privileged to see this in.a small, intimate venue. The calibre of writing, acting and staging was superb.
An intriguing brilliant piece of theatre that made us laugh, gasp and keep us wanting to know more. One of those plays that you want to discuss long after the play has ended. I want to see more by J Hooper!
So much to think about with this enthralling play – deftly treading the line between black humour and a deadly seriousness.
What an amazing play!! We laughed out loud and also was gripped by the unfolding story. I was on the edge of my seat enthralled by the momentum of the play. Fascinating characters and written with great empathy
This is a seemingly simple play that works it’s way under your skin with onion-like layers. I was left pondering the multiple meanings well after the curtain fell. A masterful work from an inspired playwright.
Incredibly engrossing play which took us on a journey into the depths of depression whilst maintaining a sense of humour and hope.
Terrific psychological drama teasing at the contradictions of modern life, where friendly positivity falls against the chasm of personal anxiety. Beautifully crafted writing and an engaging cast left the audience discussing what really happened for hours (in our case days!) after.
A thought provoking insight into the world of mental health. Great performances from Wiseman and Sally and a brilliant use of the space and set. This was a performance that was different and certainly provoked a reaction!
We absolutely loved this play. The script was first class and actors truly amazing. We were gripped from start to finish. Great plot twists. Lots of laughter as well as drama. Lots of life lessons to be taken but also very life affirming. Easily west end theatre or film quality – no doubt.
An excellent play that kept me captivated throughout. Script had lots of humour within a dark setting which sometimes made you forget the dire situation the main character was in. I had real empathy for the main character and was moved by her facing up to her negative thoughts.
Excellent play, sharply written, deeply and disturbingly funny!
Justin Hopper pulls off a difficult feat in this play. He explores dark themes; coercion, depression,self harm but somehow, whilst respecting the seriousness of the material, he does so with a lightness of touch and humour. I was engaged with the play from the beginning. The turn of events at the end left me with questions which made the ideas in the play stay with me after I had left the theatre,
I was gripped as Bedbug morphed from an easy going relationship drama into something much darker. I had no idea where the narrative would scuttle off to next, and couldn’t take my eyes off it. Bedbug really got under my skin.
Loved this play – terrific, clever, funny script that left me with so much to think about.
Excellent performance, immersive and thought provoking. Brilliantly written and executed, combining human emotions with the challenges we face now more than ever. Justin Hopper has managed to tease these out in his writing in way that captivates the audience. These are just the sort of plays why I, and others, go to the theatre.
Bedbugs has stayed in my mind since I saw it last week. It was wonderfully sinister and unsettling, leavened with essential shots of humour. Some of the scenes between Sally and ‘Wise Man’ are unforgettable – drinking from a milk carton will never be quite the same. Justin Hopper gives us a great deal to think about, and identify with, speaking from my own experiences of coercive control – sat there thinking, that’s true, I know that’s how it can happen. But, as said above, then come those shots of humour and absurdity (physical as well as spoken) to lift you back up. It gives you hope, while reminding you why you need it.
Excellent writing dealing with universal issues in an interesting and engaging way.
Great writing by Justin Hopper, Bedbug is a well crafted examination of vagrancy, controlling behaviour and a descent towards suicide, all with a few laughs along the way, which helps lighten the sometimes very dark script. No wasted text, every line earned its place.
Bedbug is a thought provoking play, and kept us interested throughout. It raises some interesting points about mental health but ultimately it was a great story!
Funny, poignant, sinister and always surprising. Superb production.
I attended the play after it had been running for a week and thought it was very well presented. The story line was one that made you think about insomnia and depression. Was the wise man actual or made up in her head? The text was very well put together.
This is a wonderful piece of writing that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster throughout the performance. I enjoyed every second.
Excellent play
Some nice comic moments within a thought provoking and original scenario. The timing of the various scenes moved the action along nicely. Perhaps the ending might need to be developed a little more to maintain the credibility of the plot. An excellent production.
A very thought-provoking and sensitively handled play about an important and prevalent subject. With a few comedic touches, this piece didn’t trivialise the subject and certainly gave us something to discuss afterwards.
Thoroughly enjoyed “Bedbug” which I saw 2 weeks ago. Beautifully performed by the 3 cast members and with a challenging and unexpected twist at the end!
I really enjoyed this play. It dealt with mental health in a very striking and often amusing way. But it never trivialised a serious and very dark subject. It is a very clever play.
A thought-provoking piece where we witnessed Sally’s decline, beginning with the frustrations of insomnia caused by a personal tragedy in the first act, to deep depression and yielding despair in the second. With coercive control and self-harm thrown into the mix, there was still room for some humour to lighten the load. I’m sure we were all wondering, however, how the Wise Man was finally removed once Sally and Ben (thankfully reunited) returned to the bedsit! There was some discussion on the way home whether the Wise Man actually existed or was a figment of Sally’s psychosis.
Traits of a play … good actors, keep you ‘guessing’, touch of humour, things to think about later, great dialogue … it had all this plus more … thanks
Absolutely brilliant, extremely difficult subject tackled in a very clever way. Loved it!
A great and insightful play. Written with delicacy covering subjects such as insecurity, self-harming and vulnerability in young folk. Particularly relevant in these days of isolation fuelled by the mobile phone ‘revolution’. History will not be kind to social media. Let’s have more from Justin Hopper!
Brilliant play, on the edge of my seat the entire time!