The Guardian’s review describes Tender at London’s Bush theatre as a strange, gripping and sensual two-hander that blends queer romance, haunted-house horror and psychological thriller. The critic particularly praises Francesca Amewudah-Rivers’s performance as Ash, calling her the dominant force in the production, while arguing that the play’s eerie atmosphere and emotional intensity make it compelling even when its ideas remain unresolved. The review suggests the show matters because it tackles themes of coercion, trauma and desire through an ambitious, genre-blurring form.

Tender, written by Eleanor Tindall and directed by Emily Aboud, centres on Ivy and Ash, two women drawn into a dark romance while each faces different forms of distress. The production runs for 90 minutes and uses a rippling wallpaper set and unsettling sound design to evoke a possibly possessed flat, while recurring imagery of blood, flesh and haunting hints at abuse, mental collapse and coming out without fully settling on one meaning. The critic finds these metaphors overextended and some backstory, particularly around Ash’s past violence, under-explained, but still praises the lyrical narration, choreographed physicality and the show’s visceral theatrical power.