The Hampstead Theatre is basically my ‘local’ theatre as I live less than 5 minutes away (don’t stalk me please). It’s a great little theatre and I generally see everything they do because I love them being there and want to support them. Luckily, there have been a couple of misses but far more hits. This one was definitely a hit. ‘Reasons to be Happy’ is a play looking at relationships, how people interact and the choices they make. It focuses on four characters whose lives are intertwined in various ways. We see the main character being presented with options and watch him making his decisions- it often seems like obvious what he should do and when he doesn’t make those choices it’s frustrating- a true sign for me that a play has drawn me in! The two female characters were flawed enough to make them believable but what I really liked was the interaction between the two of them which hit exactly the right level of female solidarity without being overly sugary.

Overall: a sharp observational comedy with two exceptional female characters.