2015ISLANDS_UFKyle Ross’s new play, Islands, takes us into the world of Magnus and Sophie’s relationship, a couple with the most spotless middle class credentials you could imagine. Sophie works in PR (of course), Magnus works in the city (of course) and they met at a sports social at Uni in Durham (of course). They are the kind of people whose pitch goes up at the end of every single sentence.

Sophie and Magnus’s world is one of emojis, Netflix, ice bucket challenges, swanky publishing dos, boozy nights out with city clients, Fifty Shades of Grey, selfies and people who drink almond milk out of a straw. Having skipped along an easy road through life – university, internships, a house in London subsidised by wealthy parents – to all intents and purposes they paint a perfect picture.  The pair of them are utterly assured they do, at any rate, which is not quite the same thing.

As more details of their lives trickle down to us over the course of the show we are forced to wonder if they are really so solid a couple, or perhaps their worlds are more separate then it first seems. But does that mean they are not happy? In this case, that seems to be a completely different question.

With highly stylised, static conversations and accounts of relationship history and past anecdotes, the show is fantastically simple. Sophie and Magnus are of course, completely hideous and unbearable people, devoid of morals – a parody of themselves.

It almost shouldn’t work and I’m sure not to everyone’s taste but I enjoy the utter awfulness of this couple. The two lead performances hit the nail on the head and disturbingly, they are completely believable. I’m sure we’ve all come across people who are like Magnus and Sophie at one point or another. 

Islands is playing at Underbelly, Cowgate 12-17 and 19-30 August as part of the Edinburgh Fringe. For more information, visit the festival website.