Jab

Review by Jude

⭐⭐⭐⭐

When the year 2020 is mentioned, memories immediately come flooding back. And for most, the first thought is the COVID pandemic. Jab, a black comedy now open at Park Theatre, explores a couple’s relationship as the world outside is in a global crisis, while inside the home, everything is falling apart.

Written by James McDermott and directed by Scott Le Crass, Jab follows married couple Anne (Kacey Ainsworth), an NHS nurse, and Don (Liam Tobin), a stay-at-home husband, as they navigate opposing views on the severity of the pandemic and the safety of vaccines. The forced proximity of lockdown could either strengthen their marriage—or completely destroy it.

Ainsworth and Tobin deliver believable, grounded performances, seamlessly shifting between joy, tension, and conflict. Over the course of 75 minutes, the audience becomes a fly on the wall, witnessing a relationship on the brink. Banter flips to bickering, with strain steadily building until the uncertainty of their future becomes almost unbearable. Their ability to inject comedy into such heavy themes is a welcome and effective counterbalance.

It’s hard to believe the pandemic began five years ago, when so many of us were confined to our homes, obsessively watching the news for updates and vaccine developments. Though set in the UK, the themes feel universal and relatable. Jab taps into instantly recognisable moments: impromptu living room dance parties, squabbles over the TV remote, heated debates about vaccinations, and even wearing masks inside the home for fear of infecting a loved one. It’s a nuanced look at how love may endure, but liking someone isn’t always guaranteed—something many confronted in lockdown.

This is an intimate, thought-provoking production that lingers long after the final bow. It reminds us just how much we went through—and just how lucky we are to have made it to the other side.