I was a little devilish last night. Provocative, even.

But for the greater good, you understand.

Seated in that glorious cavern that is 53two, underneath the arches on Watson Street, I scrambled to get a pre-performance shot of the set, uploaded to my Instagram (I don’t deal in shortening names – no Instas, no Maccy Ds, no spag bols exist in my strangely Victorian vernacular).

I had my image and I had my two mentions in place – that is @1912_productions and @53two and all that was left was to add in the caption, Can’t Wait to Leave without explanation.

Ooh, that’ll set hares racing. That’ll get ’em thinking ‘what can be so bad that you’re already chomping at the bit to do one out of there?’. Yeah, me. Me and my ways.

Well no. If anyone wondered that, nobody cared enough to ask. Apart from lovely Michelle (thank you Michelle).

No this was a production called Can’t Wait to Leave and never was the opposite so true.

He’s new in town, and all he wants to do is check out. The hard part is coming up with an exit plan.

When the one person he thought he could rely on ups and leaves, Ryan finds himself adrift in a city he still hasn’t learned to like, looking for direction.

Six months to kill, no money, no rules… surely this is the worst possible time to be alone?

That’s when he meets Richard, who seems to have all the answers…

Written and directed by Stephen Leach, and performed (practically ‘lived’, up there, such was the embodiment of the character ) by Zach Hawkins, this was a 75 minute one-hander which kept myself and fellow audience members gripped from start right through to the moving finish.

Introduced to Ryan (Hawkins) in a hospital waiting room, he takes us through through the story of what led to him being there, right then, right now via re-enacted conversation by re-enacted conversation, clothes change by clothes change, graphic and funny sexual encounter recount by graphic and funny sexual encounter recount,

And there is no let-up. The high- energy and frantic nature of this tale of one city (London, by the way – ain’t nobody here wanting to leave our Manchester ;-)) is difficult to equate with the concept of the solo-actor dramatic performance.

The only thing preventing me from marvelling at how on earth such a volume of lines were recalled, delivered pitch perfect and without single pause for thought, given the frenetic pace and free-flowing, unflinching delivery of them, was the fact that I was so drawn into this world of Ryan’s, I forgot that the lines came from script and memory, but rather the mind and heart of a young man with lived dramas to divulge, along with a flair for hyperbole and the ‘extra’.

And as Ryan, a 19 year old bi-sexual man, living in a shared house in Hounslow, takes us into that pub in the city to reluctantly rub shoulders with the accountant colleagues of his older and ‘more successful’ brother, we’re right there. We’re standing firm with Ryan as he stands aghast, amidst the tedious company, the corporate chatter, the hashtag blessed influencer fiancee of his brother and their ‘important announcement’.

And we don’t leave his side as we’re taken through the back-story of a life that takes in high-school, a once-close relationship with his brother that lead to him talked into a move from Luton to London, turkey sandwiches, Deliveroo dramatics and more fundamental universal law observations than you can shake a stick at, until we’re suddenly back. Back in that hospital waiting room, 100% invested so that the revelation of why we (it’s definitely we at that point) are all there, in that hospital waiting room hits hard.

So how else do I convey that this is a play worth seeing and staying for?

I guess I would say, go for the energetic, physical, comedic re-enactments of a teenager with a somewhat gung-ho, chaotic, flair for the dramatic, oxymoronic cynical whilst at the same time naive approach to life.

Then I would say, stay for an incredible exploration of a man who is yet to discover a place where he fits, a community where he’s understood, a home where has more to go back to than a can of Lilt and place to scroll through Grindr, and how the story of a chance meeting with a stranger and reluctantly formed friendship leaves him more lonely and vulnerable than ever before.

Can’t Wait to Leave is a piece of theatre that grabs you, keeps you and stays with you long after you…leave.

There is one more chance to see Can’t Wait to Leave in Manchester at that glorious arts space (and cracking bar) that is 53two – to grab your ticket for the final performance on Friday 25 October, head to https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/null/cant-wait-to-leave/e-gbvkap.

For more details, on the show and 53two, visit https://www.53two.com/

1912 is a newly-formed theatre company, with Can’t Wait to Leave their debut stage play. Highlighting that bi-sexuality is rarely represented in theatre, it should be noted that Can’t Wait to Leave is the result of a team of bi creatives; writers, designers, producers and performers. X – @1912Productions, Instagram – @1912_Productions