REVIEW: WHERE THERE IS NO TIME @ SEVEN DIALS PLAYHOUSE

🎭 Where There Is No Time

📍 Seven Dials Playhouse, 1A Tower Street, London, WC2H 9NP

🗓 Thursday 19th March 2026

⭐️ 2 Stars

HIGH FASHION, LOW STAKES

Last night I was invited to the Seven Dials Playhouse to watch WHERE THERE IS NO TIME written by Mohammedally Hashemi. I really wanted to get swept up in this one, but if I'm being totally honest, I left feeling a bit flat.

There was a nice touch at the start. As I walked into the auditorium the character of Yusuf was already sat at his desk on stage. I've always been a fan of this as a creative choice. It builds a bit of anticipation and gives you that sense of wonder about what's to come. It sets the scene before a single word is even spoken.

The story itself is fine, and it's well written for the most part, but it just doesn't feel new. I feel like I've seen this "Sophie's Choice" between career and friendship a million times before. That classic struggle of "do I climb the ladder or keep my soul?" just felt a bit tired here. The real kicker for me though was the total lack of emotion. I'll be blunt; I just didn't care about the characters or what happened to them. It felt as if the performers were just saying the lines instead of actually living them. Without that heartbeat, the one hour runtime ended up feeling much longer than it actually was.

There was one standout moment though - where things finally clicked. The heated argument between Yusuf and Nina was easily the best scene in terms of both writing and acting. For a brief window, the room was actually filled with electricity. It was the only time I felt anything at all, which in this case, was a bit of sympathy.

Things did pick up slightly after that spark, but the ending unfortunately felt weak and definitely left me wanting something more. There was an awkward "is it over?" delay before the applause started. It was as if the audience wasn't quite sure if there was another scene coming or if that was really it. There was a beginning and a middle, but where was the end?

Production-wise, it was just all a bit lacklustre, which is a shame. The direction ironically seemed to be lacking direction. For example, every time a character entered the stage, it was with this weird military precision that felt totally unnatural. The lighting here was honestly boring and did absolutely nothing for the atmosphere. Sadly, it felt more like I was watching a rehearsal than a finished product.

Is there potential? Well, yes there's something there with the writing, and with a bit of work I'm sure it could develop into a much more engaging piece of theatre. Was it bad? No. Would I see it again? No.

If you want to make up your own mind, WHERE THERE IS NO TIME continues performances at Seven Dials Playhouse until Saturday 28th March. Click here for more information and for tickets.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of Where There Is No Time was gifted by GingerBread Agency who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

CAST LIST:

Mohammedally Hashemi as Yusuf; Milly Zero as Suzann; Kerena Jagpal as Nina

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour, with no interval

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