Steve & Steff For Ever

Notting Hill meets Bury St Edmunds in this seductive promenade rom com performance.

Stephen is the straight-laced insurance broker, Steff the free spirit who tempts him into taking a (calculated) risk with the potential to change his life.

From the meet cute to the third act breakup and reconciliation, the other star is Bury St Edmunds itself.

The audience, wearing headphones and shepherded by friendly stewards, zig zag through the town’s street to watch the actors, with recorded interludes covering most of the walking between on-street locations.

The piece is logistically spot on – and that is no small achievement in a busy town centre – and the lead performances are also perfectly pitched.

Joshua Diffley as Stephen gradually melts his learnt awkwardness into emotional openness.

As Steff, Anna Soden gets the balance right between gutsy and vulnerable, particularly in the final scene.

Ian Jarvis’ script is playfully knowing, referencing rom com lore and working quickly to establish likeable characters we want to invest in. This even works for audio-only actors, Tim Welton, Georgia Richardson, and especially Alice Roberston as Steve’s mother Carol – getting many of the funniest lines.

But the real icing is the attention to detail: I don’t want to spoil any surprises but there are several Easter eggs dotted through the performance that really lay on the charm.

This isn’t a show with a deep message but at 75 minutes long it is a delectably fun slice of entertainment, particularly if you’re blessed with the favourable weather we enjoyed on review night.

It’s sweet, warm, and very funny, offering the chance to fall in love with love, and with Bury St Edmunds.