Southwark Playhouse – until 25 October 2025
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
Evan Placey’s sharp examination of the prison system is dark, funny and heartbreaking. The predicament of the ageing prisoners who have been institutionalised with little hope of release, and the wearing down of staff to become cogs in a heartless bureaucratic system are both explored with a compassionate touch.
Lenny (Peter Wight) spends the days playing poker with wing mates Baxter (Ricky Fearon) and Norton (Sam Cox), but his body and mind are in bad shape. Needing a walking frame – confiscated after being used as a weapon – and showing more signs of dementia, Lenny is desperate for help, but prison doctor Sonya (Mona Goodwin) is reluctant to commit scarce funds to a hospital visit for a possible malingerer. Her assessment of Lenny by the cost it would take to investigate his headaches contrasts starkly with the frustrated attitude of new prison officer Mark (James Backway) who, despairing of the lack of dignity and humanity caused by the strict roles played by different agencies in the system, begins to help Lenny dress and play along as Lenny reminisces with him, thinking that Jack is his son, Simeon.
Lenny’s frailness is punctuated by angry and violent outbursts, reminding the audience that he was capable of committing his crime earlier in his life. The nature of his offence is not revealed until late in the play during a visit from his estranged son, making his reminiscing about happy moments seem like a defensive shield allowing him to dissociate from his actions. The truth raises questions about whether he was doing this as a coping mechanism before developing dementia.
The interplay between the three aging prisoners is funny and brutal with Lenny never as fragile as he seems, making him dangerous prey for the sharp but petty Norton, who sees injustice everywhere, but cheats Lenny whenever he notices a weakness. Their love hate relationship is wonderfully written – one scene consists of them trading ever more ridiculous insults and threats before breaking down in laughter. Evan Placey brilliantly writes the gallows humour. Ricky Fearon’s Baxter is much more adept at playing the system, appearing calm and letting things slide to keep things running smoothly and his life as trouble free as possible. The different ways the men have found to live within the prison walls all feel authentic and understandable.
Mark Backway’s naïve officer, determined to make a difference, finds his ability to separate the man from the crime he committed challenged when he discovers Lenny’s past but, even as the play ends in tragedy, his compassion provides a touch of hope.
Esther Baker’s direction allows touching moments to settle and shocks to hit hard. Scene changes on Katy McPhee’s slate grey set are managed smoothly and Tony Simpson’s wonderful lighting design gives timely reminders that these are lives spent behind bars.