Robert Aramayo and Roshie Sheehy in Guess How Much I Love You? [Johan Persson]

AT the centre of Luke Norris’s profoundly affecting play Guess How Much I Love You? are two beautifully nuanced performances.

The play opens with a pregnant, thirty-something couple, known only as Her (Rosie Sheehy) and Him (Robert Aramayo), awaiting their 20-week scan. They are confronted with an impossible decision that will impact the rest of their lives.

She is Welsh, by turns unabashedly angry, obsessive and heartbroken, while he, originally from Ireland and raised by religious parents, is more placating, initially keeping a lid on his emotions.

Together, they create an utterly convincing portrait of a relationship under unimaginable strain. Her explosive diatribe will surely become a classic audition speech – it conveys so much and demands absolute commitment, which Sheehy provides in spades. Overcoming such an onslaught speaks to the depth of the characters’ love and resilience.

Leena Kaur plays a kindly midwife, and the production shifts fluidly between settings – a scanning unit, maternity room, bedroom and bathroom – thanks to Grace Smart’s evocative design and Jessica Hung Han Yun’s lighting, which accentuate the intimate and the clinical.

Norris’s heartfelt writing immerses the audience in the couple’s dilemma from start to finish. It’s a raw piece, but Norris expertly weaves humour through their painful exchanges, and Jeremy Herrin’s well-judged production ensures that the play never feels mawkish.

Guess How Much I Love You? will likely be in contention for several awards in 2026. It’s a brilliant start to the Royal Court’s 70th anniversary season, so grab tickets while you still can.

Until February 21
royalcourttheatre.com/