Review by Frank Plowright

I Shall Never Fall in Love is a three act drama hinging on the clever idea of injecting modern ideas about gender spectrum and sexual attraction into the prim structured environment of the pre-Victorian romantic novel. The themes aren’t unprecedented, TV’s Gentleman Jack being a variation and occasional inspiration, but they’re handled by Hari Conner with equal charm, grace and spirit.

Charlotte is cousin to Eleanor, whose best friend is Georgiana, who would prefer to be known as George. George has had a crush on Eleanor for the longest time, but a belief that it’s secret is proved wrong. Only Eleanor doesn’t realise there’s more to their friendship, while George’s guardian is insistent she find the right match in society. It is 1818 after all.

After the initial points made, I Shall Never Fall in Love becomes a meticulously constructed comedy of errors and misunderstandings playing on the tenor of the times. Applying modern sensibilities works, and Conner provides a solid foundation for events. Charlotte being Black and considered equal at first seems too great a nod toward political correctness in hindsight, but Conner later provides historical precedent bolstered by recommended reading after the story, and it enables discussion about unpalatable aspects of society as events unfurl.

Conner’s cartooning is emotionally strong and emphasises the important moments. The longings so unconventional for the times are excellently conveyed, although Eleanor’s father is the exception to the remainder of the cast for his use as a one-dimensional exaggeration. Elsewhere, though, for all the modern day sensibilities, the period setting supplies an exotica, and the awkwardness set up would work equally well for the period with more traditional personalities. However, it would then just be a clever pastiche, and Conner is better, providing real bite at times along with comforting tolerance in unlikely places.

Confident, capable and above all entertaining, I Shall Never Fall in Love is a success on almost every level. There’s an irony, though, about a story that’s all about representation being under a cover desperately needing to be more representative. The central relationship is seen, but there’s no great hint of the period setting, which is so important to both the fun and the highlighting of misguided social values. Forget that, though, and dive in to an absolute delight.