Compelling and powerfully human
Alexis Gregory’s new play begins with the main character Alex (played by the playwright himself) receiving an Instagram message from his ex-boyfriend Ben. The problem is that Ben could not have sent that text; he’s been dead for two years. This dramatic catalyst launches the audience into an unravelling story that binds together grief, mental illness, and identity, writes Leo Dunlop.
Alex sets out to discover who has hacked Ben’s account, and as he follows the trail of breadcrumbs, the audience is pulled with him into the darkness of his paranoia and psychosis. Gradually, we begin to question whether the truth Alex is telling us is really a truth at all.
One of the production’s biggest strengths is the way it manipulates the audience’s relationship with Alex. At the beginning, he seems warm and disarming, even stepping into the audience and sitting amongst them, befriending them. But as his mental state deteriorates, what first seemed intimate becomes deeply uncomfortable, as though we have welcomed someone into our home only to realise we may not be safe with them there. It is this volatility, these intrusions, that gives the play so much of its tension.
The staging has no real set and uses only a phone and ring light as props – a stripped-back production. The audience relies on Gregory’s performance to bring the character’s world to life. Curated by the unreliable narrator, we too see things that aren’t there, from the likes of Starbucks coffee shops managed by demon twinks, to the horrors of Acton Town station.
There’s something deeply unsettling about these slips in logic; we begin to fall out of step with the real world, losing our bearings as we’re pulled further into Alex’s psyche. This is a world saturated with paranoia, of microchips and tracking devices forced down his throat, of unseen forces communicating with him, even stifling his words with electric shocks. It’s a nauseating landscape, but one that powerfully conveys the lived reality of a mind unravelling.
But the play never completely loses its beating heart and humanity. We are all able to see our own delusions and insecurities reflected back at us in Alex’s character. It’s a compassionate and eye-opening piece of work that shines a light on isolation, addiction, and loss, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community, issues too often swept under the rug, unconfronted.
If you are looking for a compelling and powerfully human theatre experience, then Smoke is the show for you. The run at the Omnibus Theatre finishes on 25 April, before continuing on a UK tour.
Booking and full details: https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/smoke-yal/
