Unnerving and emotional, it answers all your questions, but you’ll be sorry you asked.
Written by Philip Ridley, Vincent River is a dark tale that delves into death, homophobia and two characters struggling with their inner demons.
Anita (Kerrie Taylor) just suffered a great loss – her son, Vincent, died after he was attacked in the toilet of an abandoned East End station known locally as a spot for sexual encounters. It wasn’t until his death, that Anita found out through neighbourhood whispers that Vincent had been living with a secret.
Fuelled by homophobia, the nature of the attack appeared to cause her more pain than the loss itself – so much so, that she moves house to drown out the noise of judgement.
She meets, or rather catches, Davey (Brandon Kimaryo) – a boy around her son’s age – whom she has noticed following her.
The play had a cold and abrupt start but it did warm up. The characters clearly had instant chemistry despite never having met, possibly because of their shared common love and their need to keep Vincent alive in their minds.
Ridley takes a few dark turns, none totally shocking but sinister enough to keep you interested. There are some light moments, mostly from Kerrie – whose comedic timing, although inconsistent, is perfect when it lands.
As an audience member, you are watching the life of Vincent play out in a series of core memories – leading up to his tragic end. The story relies heavily on the strength of their monologues and graphic descriptions as we don’t see much. But it does work, nonetheless.
On the way out of the theatre, one man summed it up well – saying he didn’t even manage to drink his pint because of how engrossed he was in the performance.
It runs for an hour and a half straight without pause but for good reason – that would be like having an interval during an action film: a total waste of adrenaline.
Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, Greenwich, London, SE10 8ES until 15th July. Times: Tues – Sat 7.30pm; Sat matinee 2.30pm. Admission: Band A: £27, Concession £23, Band B £20
Booking: greenwichtheatre.org.uk or 020 8858 7755.
