Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph’s Gruesome Playground Injuries was staged by Broken Leg Theatre Company at the Namel Malini Punchi Theatre on 12, 13 and 14 October. Directed by Lihan Mendis, the two-hander starred Shanaka Amarasinghe as the reckless yet childishly charming Doug and Imani Perera as the brooding and almost always hostile Kayleen. Within its nonlinear eight scenes, in an intermission-less play, the audience was guided through several decades of Kayleen and Doug’s deeply connected for the most part masochistic, relationship. We were introduced to the couple at age eight, in the nurse’s office at an elementary school, and right off the bat, Doug and Kayleen’s relationship establishes itself as being more about the pain, than the pleasure. With Kayleen’s almost catchphrase of “shut up” or “so stupid” often directed at Doug, and Doug’s unbelievable bad luck as he narrates ridiculous accident one after another, the audience was prepared for painful back and forth between two lovers who just can’t seem to catch a break. It’s a tale where “can I touch it?” is never a sexual innuendo but always referring to a wound, a manifestation of physical harm they each have undergone. It is the love story of two people brought closer together through physical agony, something they know to be far more intimate than sex. There’s a darkness within Kayleen, even at a young age and we’re made aware of her emotionally unavailable father and broken home life which is in stark contrast to Doug’s full-of-life personality, with a loving family who extends their love to Kayleen, who is too damaged to accept both their love and even Doug’s. The performances of the two leads were convincing and energetic, and one never struggles to believe that the two were meant to be, but they did on occasion make the mistake of over-signalling the different ages they were in, taking away from audience’s immersion; adults playing children is always rather eerie, it’s never entirely pleasant. Regardless, the actors gave a rather solid performance, skilfully navigating the nuanced characters with purpose and conviction. Possibly the most intriguing element of the entire production, however, was the onstage transformations of the actors; in full view of the audience, they changed clothes, reapplied make up and blood splatters. It’s an interesting device, one that indicates to the audience the lack of control either one of the two lovers have in their destinies, that a higher power is guiding them as they go through the motions. Each scene transitioned quite smoothly from one to the other, for the most part; however the music used felt rather odd at times with an upbeat tune right after an emotional scene and an odd cut away when there should be some room to breathe. The production was heavily minimalist, with a barely-there set and the clinical background of the opening scene remains for the majority of the play, as the two meet in an assortment of medical facilities due to injuries, self-inflicted or otherwise. The lighting, handled by Ryan Holsinger was remarkable, not too showy but just enough to portray the varying levels of gloom and even numbness the scenes called for. Doug and Kayleen’s perversely destructive, quite often platonic relationship has a disturbing allure to it, something that resonates with anyone who believes that some people are meant to be regardless of how broken and messed up they may be. Even through Kayleen’s attempted suicide and subsequent institutionalisation, and Doug’s reckless daredevil antics leading him to a lifetime of disability, through all of that despair, there was still hope, hope lost and hope realised. Lihan’s play would not blow your mind neither would it really set out to do so. What it really does is make one wonder about the ‘what was’ and the ‘what could’ve been’ of any relationship you’ve ever been in. Gruesome Playground Injuries is not ground-breaking but it is devastatingly entertaining. By Dimithri Wijesinghe