“Catford leads the performance with a beautiful portrayal of the character as we watch her reflect on the choices she made leading up to the ‘Tipping Point’. Witty and cynical, you cannot help but fall in love with Catford’s character.” Shannon McNeill EdFringeReview.com
“Through Catherine’s journey, you see Catford connect with her mirrors, often stylised through the cohesive colours of their costumes but Catford’s Fleabag-esque dissociation into her own memories is what is truly captivating.” Shannon McNeil EdFringeReview.com
We Love Then We Drown by Ruth Gilligan, playing Catherine.
Full Review: A modern show plucked straight from the 80s!We Love and Then We Drown is a tender-hearted play set in 2075, where half of the UK is underwater and the world has succumbed to the ‘Tipping Point’ of the climate disaster. The show presents the audience with three versions of Dr Catherine Hardy. Kitty Cat (child Catherine played by Louisa Amapola), Cath (adult Catherine played by Carla Dourado), and Catherine (present day Catherine played by Clare Catford). Catford leads the performance with a beautiful portrayal of the character as we watch her reflect on the choices she made leading up to the ‘Tipping Point’. Witty and cynical, you cannot help but fall in love with Catford’s character. Amapola and Dourado are satisfactory counterparts to Catford’s character as they both portray different perspectives of love and life in times of tragedy.
Amapola portrays childlike innocence perfectly with an energetic and optimistic performance. Personally, I did not feel that the interaction with the audience was necessary for the performance and am sure that Amapola could have shined well enough on her own. Similarly, Dourado and her love interest portrayed by Robert Thomas: while a little stilted and one-note at times, you cannot help but root for them.
Together the cast do an incredible job at working in tandem with Catford impressively overlapping dialogue with her counterparts, making you truly feel like you are seeing these memories through Catherine’s eyes. Through Catherine’s journey, you see Catford connect with her mirrors, often stylised through the cohesive colours of their costumes but Catford’s Fleabag-esque dissociation into her own memories is what is truly captivating. Writer Ruth Gilligan should applaud herself for a natural, powerful dialogue that is only amplified by its cast.
The core of the show presents the audience with a question. As many people in the current generation are apprehensive about the climate emergency, it has left some people angry or in some cases apathetic. The main character, Catherine has made many sacrifices for the sake of saving the climate, raising questions such as the ripple effects of our actions and what kind of world we are bringing children into. In every version of Catherine, she is angry (as many people today also are), however the show highlights that through the hardships we cannot help but love no matter how hard we try. Robert Thomas says that love ‘may not save the planet but it is the reason’ as Dr Greg Dawson, highlighting the hope that is central to this play.
A recurring soundtrack of ‘Together In Electric Dreams’ by Phil Oakey and Giorgio Moroder is what fills this promising atmosphere. Featuring as a song of hope, it unites characters together. After an emotional sequence performed by the three faces of Catherine, the song is what drives the relationships to a warm finale. The show could be described in a simple word as cheesy with its persistent hope-core but I challenge anyone to walk away from this show without a smile on their face.
Published August 21, 2026 Shannon McNeill EdFringeReview.com
“Clare Catford is simultaneously endearing, pathetic and caustic as she slips in and out of lucidity from Catherine’s wheelchair.” Deborah Nicholson
“…overlaps of dialogue, which are at moments intricately and impeccably timed by Catford…” Deborah Nicholson
We Love Then We Drown by Ruth Gilligan, playing Catherine.
Full Review: This audacious new play (We Love Then We Drown - Camden Fringe 2026) by Ruth Gilligan asks the awkward question: How much are any of us really willing to sacrifice to save the world as we know it? Whilst none of us may know the answer, this cleverly elaborate plot, set in a not-too-distant, not-too-impossible future, explores one harsh potential answer.
Could it be that protagonist Catherine has made the ultimate sacrifice, greater maybe than that of dedicating her life to saving the human race from itself?
This well-written, fast-paced play deftly weaves in and out of Catherine’s Klimtesque three ages. Clever switches of lighting states and overlaps of dialogue, which are at moments intricately and impeccably timed by Catford, Amapola and Dourado, take the audience from young Kitty (Amapola), who tellingly thought she was “…going to be a scientist one day,” while clutching her very first plant, into adult Professor Catherine Hardy (Dourado), who adamantly insists, “It’s fucking urgent. It’s more urgent than ever,” and points out the obvious and eerily current observation that the “…cars are burning a hole in the ozone layer, the sun’s getting hotter and the ice caps are melting…”.
Seeming to single-handedly take the burden of climate change onto her learned shoulders, the professor haphazardly coincides with Greg (Thomas) and becomes the subject of his besotted persistence. At times their relationship seems to lurch abruptly from compatibility and devotion to begrudging annoyance, without the development of why. Perhaps a limitation of a fringe-length production prevents us from learning more about their rollercoaster.
The set is simple, not futuristic, but perhaps reminiscent of a 2075 research lab and later a crisis centre. It does not detract from the dialogue, which is key. The blocking is consciously planned with the help of blue LEDs DSL, keeping us with Catherine as she looks into her memories of her younger selves. The moving head brought us the helicopter at its crucial moment, but it was a blink-and-you-miss-it moment. This reviewer would have enjoyed a few revolutions more, but appreciated the many clever and effective design choices.
Although young Kitty recounts that she supposed, “If it was warm, Mummy would stop complaining that we never go on holiday.” (as 73-year-old Catherine (Catford) poignantly and sometimes devastatingly looks on with excruciating hindsight) This cringe-inducing utterance has been heard in many guises this summer of ‘26. The script brings audiences into the uncomfortable and immediate self-reflection about potentially enforced “staycationing” in a tomorrow just around the corner.
Clare Catford is simultaneously endearing, pathetic and caustic as she slips in and out of lucidity from Catherine’s wheelchair.
There is a clever and unintrusive use of music which threads the children’s song “Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” through our shared memories. A further thoughtful choice of subtle ambient tracks use Alison Moyet’s lyrics “Can you hear me?” and “Only you” echoing into the void. Also, agonisingly, either Director Adam Radford’s or perhaps Writer Ruth Gilligan’s choice of another ’80s track by Cyndi Lauper reminds us, just at the right moment, that “Time after time”, as “the second hand unwinds, if you fall”, someone “will catch you”. Are we mirroring the missed opportunities of lost relationships here?
The writing is well-researched, but the climate science references are never preachy. So many of the vignettes will be recognisable to audience members of all of Catherine’s ages, and sadly, the collar-adjusting recognition of the urgency of this piece’s topic might make you writhe in your seat a little, but the delicacy and rawness of Catherine’s unravelling is worth our discomfort.
We Love Then We Drown by Ruth Gilligan, playing Catherine.
“…A special mention to Clare Catford, who plays the elderly 'Catherine'. Her performance is one of the most moving and truthful I've seen…”
“Who doesn't have regrets? I actually wept in recognition during this show. Women,, as this play so beautifully illustrates, are still forced into either/or decisions. Writer; Ruth Gilligan has deftly woven a narrative that will resonate across generations. All performers are compelling. A special mention to Clare Catford, who plays the elderly 'Catherine'. Her performance is one of the most moving and truthful I've seen. The writer is to be commended on creating such strong female roles of all ages. Don't miss this show.” Audience feedback.
“Really moving and thought provoking. Loved the multiple timelines. Great to see such strong and complex female characters. Emotive about the climate without being too preachy. Made me laugh and cry.” Audience feedback.
“Loved the show! Its intense, in a good way … Relatable and emotional. Would recommend.” Audience Feedback.
“…I was drawn into the story immediately: it unfolded deftly and imaginatively and really made you wonder... could this be a glimpse into the future? Thought provoking and well worth seeing.” Audience feedback.
We Love Then We Drown by Ruth Gilligan, playing Catherine.
“Clare Catford gave a superb performance. Her drunk scenes were not overplayed for laughs and love scenes played with honest sincerity. A lovely performance from a talented actor." Stuart James.
Ladies’ Day by Amanda Whittington, playing Jan.
“Of particular note … is the relationship between Maureen Long (Clare Catford), a victim of the Ripper who survived the attack, and Megan. Their unlikely friendship, whilst providing an opportunity for moments of levity, also contains the seeds of sadness.”
Incident Room by Olivia Hirst & David Byrne, playing Yorkshire Ripper Survivor Maureen Long.””