Review: Jess and Joe Forever at the Orange Tree

Spanning several summer holidays, Jess and Joe Forever is an unusual and heartwarming coming of age tale. Amanda Hodges was impressed by the surprising level of depth to this play giving the performance 4 STARS

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A coming of [teen] age tale set in rural Norfolk which is a co-production between the Orange Tree and Farnham Maltings, Zoe Cooper’s endearing and hugely likeable new play is deliberately self-conscious, its artifice broadcast from the start as Jess and Joe, accidental friends, regale the audience with the tale of their friendship, restaging key moments along the way in a quietly affecting comedy that is funny and deeply heartfelt too.

Jess is a very young London girl soon to depart for a posh boarding school when she meets Joe, the son of a farmer whilst briefly on holiday. He is a quiet lad, unimpressed by her assumed air of worldliness, attentive au pair and tenuous grasp of Italian, but despite their differences they soon forge an unlikely bond, one cemented by subsequent summers in the area.

Initially it appears that this will be a gentle comedy but soon it evolves into something richer.  Jess’s bravura hides eating problems, Joe’s diffidence is a cover for his status as someone ’different,’ his fascination with the Egyptian god Anubis who had the head of a dog hinting at his conflicted identity.

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But whilst issues are palpably present, the drama never feels manipulative, it possesses far too much heart and integrity for this, something brought superbly to the fore by the performances of Nicola Coughlan and Rhys Isaac-Jones who are first-rate and utterly persuasive. Coughlan makes one feel empathy for the perky Jess even when she’s showing off whilst Isaac-Jones is outstanding as the rather gawky but honest Joe, each capturing the essence of teenage awkwardness as the two develop a tentative friendship that eventually turns into love.

Derek Bond directs the pair expertly, each change of scene signalled by nothing more than a clicker which changes the lighting but it’s an efficient device that works well and matches the production’s air of simplicity. The strength of Cooper’s script and conviction of its cast make this a real joy from first to last and luckily many will have the chance to enjoy its quirky charm as the production embarks on a tour following its run at the Orange Tree.

For tickets visit orangetreetheatre.co.uk

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