Emily in Paris star Lily Collins swaps the luxurious world of fashion in Paris to a rundown, soon to be demolished apartment in Barcelona. Making her West End debut in Ness Wohl’s two-hander Barcelona – Lily Colins is joined on stage by the enigmatic Spanish actor Álvaro Morte, whose turn in critically acclaimed Netflix heist drama Money Heist bought him to global attention.

We’re first introduced to Irene, played by Collins and Manuel, played by Morte during an intense and passionate make out session in his apartment in Barcelona. Irene is wearing a sparkly jumpsuit and missing one of her shoes – how Cinderella of her. She is a US tourist who has met, or should I say, set her sights on Manuel, a handsome Spanish stranger in a Tapas Bar. After going back to his apartment, Irene continuously interrupts their one-night stand, to view the Sagrada Familia and trying, yet failing to speak Spanish. Even with all the interruptions it is not long till they are on the kitchen counter – “Olé!”

From the get-go Collins and Morte’s chemistry is red hot which grabs your attention. Their playful back and forth, seamlessly switches to fiery arguments and then back to passion. Collin’s light-hearted portrayal of Irene is very similar to Emily Cooper, both women are the stereotypical ‘all American’ girl who are tourists who don’t speak the language of where they are. Don’t get me wrong, Collin’s is an absolute delight to watch, she is equally funny and chaotic, but the still moments where she opens up is where she truly shines – I wish we got a chance to see more of those moments.

Morte is equally charismatic and disarming, having the stereotypical sarcasm a European has towards American tourists. His comedic scenes are a stark contrast from his later more emotional ones. Beautifully portraying Manuel’s slow descend into grief and depression with grace shows he is a master at his craft. His stoic act at the beginning makes his eventual break all the more heartbreaking. Morte’s ability to delve into those deeper moments is what makes him the perfect casting choice.

Lynette Linton’s direction perfectly matches the pace of the dialogue and pace in which the character is performing, which results in a consistent flow of movement and conversation. Linton does however allow for pauses in the pace, which feels like a deep breath is happening. Frankie Bradshaw shows a quintessential European apartment, which is both welcoming, yet neglected. Jai Morjaria’s tender lighting offers a cosy warmth over the static set. The use of episodic light changes to symbolise the changes the shift from present day to the past when each character reminisces a past event. The detail that has gone into this play is exceptional, like the re-occurrence of a silhouette which resembled a ballet dancer spinning on a jewellery box was beautiful, yet haunting touch. The stand-out moments for me are the quieter moments when they are listening to each other or admiring the beauty of classical music. It is in these moments their chemistry shines and it feels more like a love story – which believe me it is not.

While the play does include some important topics, I felt once we got to the difficult topics such as grief and depression – it ended abruptly, which was shame. Saying that the real charm of Barcelona is the comedic relief we’re given, as most plays on at the moment are tense and heavy. While I enjoyed Barcelona, it was sadly nothing special and I wouldn’t rush to see it again. But if you are a fan on Lily Collins, you will be in for a delightful treat.

Barcelona runs until 11 January at the Duke of York’s Theatre.

⭐️⭐️⭐️