There Is A Light And A Whistle For Attracting Attention
09 September 2026
The Hen & Chickens Theatre
5.0 out of 5.0 stars
There Is a Light And A Whistle For Attracting Attention is currently running at the Hen & Chickens Theatre in Islington until the 13 September. The engaging one-hander revolves around a woman’s experience with yearning for love, romantic expectations, and a long-term relationship with a narcissistic abuser.
Journeying through her own life, the narrator examines her life. In the midst of the breakdown of a marriage, she goes back to significant moments in her life that shaped her experience of love and romance, trying to find out where it all went wrong.
Written and performed by Henri Merriam, the show is incredibly engaging, holding the audience’s attention from the first moment. With just a chest of drawers filled with props, Merriam achieves a whirlwind show full of surprises and humorous moments.
Told from the perspective of a woman adrift after the breakdown of the most significant relationship in her life, this production manages to show how gaslighting slowly breaks down confidence and replaces a solid self-image with paranoia and doubt. The deep seated insidiousness of this kind of abuse is vividly brought to life right on stage, with a carefully constructed narrative that slowly slides deeper and deeper into the abusive behaviours without being too in-your-face.
Going from a seemingly normal relationship through several phases of slowly creeping gaslighting and abuse impressively exemplifies the stages of harm and how easy they are to overlook until it is too late. With an incredibly high-energy performance, Merriam has created a stunning show that is full of compassion and understanding, a deeply touching narrative that manages to balance humour and sincerity perfectly.
