You Wouldn't Know Him, He Lives in Texas

Long-distance relationships suck. A pesky ocean or several obstinate continents in the way is all it takes to sink love's first blush. Like the lesson from some bleak dusty text book, geography crushes romance.

Will Skype change that? According to this charming site-specific production, it might just rip up the rule book.

The audience meets at a flat in the New Town and we are welcomed in by our new giddy, toothy friend, Lizzy. She is hosting a party to introduce her friends (us) to her boyfriend, Ryan, and his friends (another audience) in Austin, Texas via Skype. The couple met in Edinburgh but have nurtured their relationship through this technology.

On both sides of the Atlantic, theatre company Look Left Look Right have realised the party perfectly. There is nervous small talk, inane banter, silly games. A bond is formed with the punters in Texas, like linking hands through the looking glass of Skype.

So when the plot does kicks in, with a seismic shift in Lizzy and Ryan's relationship, all the audience feels personally involved. It is a neat confidence trick – and it works.

Where the show crashes and freezes—just like Skype does at one point—is with the rather simplistic plot. It threatens to tackle the heartbreak and emotional exhaustion of long-distance relationships and the impact of new technology on love, but pulls its punches. Like a lot of site-specific shows, it convincingly creates a mood—and a very fun one at that—but is less effective at tackling big themes.