Greenwich Theatre – until 15th July 2023
Reviewed by Ben Jolly
3***
Philip Ridley’s classic play takes another outing, this time to Greenwich Theatre, just in time for this year’s Pride celebrations.
Vincent River is not a light, easy watch; this intense two-hander is told in real time and is set in a closed environment with no interval, add a heart breaking subject matter and you’ve set yourself up for a pretty painful night of events. The beauty of this play however, is that it doesn’t allow the subject matter to swallow it, instead the masterful Philip Ridley uses elements of humour, human emotion and a strong narrative to ride the wave.
We open half way through a stark and awkward conversation between two strangers, we soon learn that Anita has recently left her Hackney home and upped sticks to Dagenham where she sees the familiar face of the man who has been following her the past few weeks. Inviting him into her home, she plans to interrogate him (unbeknown to the stalker) on his intentions and find out where this recent fascination with her has come from. Through a slow but meaty conversation between the two characters we learn of the common interest and notice that both players are hiding their true motives. This compelling use of storytelling keeps us on the edge of our seats for the 90-minute run as Ridley drip feeds us just enough to want more and more as time goes by.
The cast of two are played by Kerrie Taylor as Anita and Brandon Kimaryo as Davey. Both are showing acts of bravery as they bare their raw emotion on stage, they have impeccable chemistry and ease which mirrors the characters as they in turn grow closer. Kimaryo is a masterful physical actor and will be one to watch when he is out of drama school (he is currently studying at Guildford School of Acting). Taylor, who thus far is mostly known for her work in television, plays the role of Anita with great emotional range and flawless character work. Some work on her physicality could be given attention, at times there were long moments of statuesque standing with hands on hips, half turned toward the audience – this stood out as someone just needing that dash of theatre craft. What let the production down somewhat was the lack of direction and use of environment; from the shoulders up the show was tight, but some more work within the physical space and making use of it instead of hiding behind would have elevated this production to the next level.
Whether on purpose or accidental, I’m not sure, but a common theme in the London theatre scene recently seems to be reviving plays that are well over a decade or two old (this play was originally staged back in 2000), but the themes and lessons are still, if not more relevant to today’s world – this production of Vincent River was no exception. You’d best be warned this play, the cast and the haunting imagery Ridley conjures up linger in the mind for some time.