%20and%20Ian%20Toner%20(Reece)%20-%20credit%20Alex%20Brenner.jpg)
In a post-apocalyptic world, Reece and Ashton have taken refuge in an industrial lock-up. They pass the time recalling and re-enacting scenes from their past lives, “moments of hope”, as they describe them. Their situation recalls Beckett’s Vladimir and Estragon, except that here Godot actually arrives in the form of Presley, a mysterious figure who threatens to disrupt their isolated existence. At first, he joins in their ritual recollections, but eventually reveals darker intentions. A Slow Fire is described as “part thriller, part excavation of the soul” and it delivers, to varying degrees, on both counts. Unfortunately, its thriller elements are undermined by a structural flaw. The first act takes too long to establish the premises, allowing the tension to dissipate, while the second act then accelerates abruptly as Presley attempts to seduce Reece into participating in his scheme. The result is not simply uneven pacing but an imbalance in the play’s dramatic architecture, with too much time spent setting the scene and too little allowing its central conflict to develop convincingly. Nevertheless, the performances are strong. Ross Gaynor brings intelligence and vulnerability to Reece, an academic and gay cartographer who is struggling to orient himself in a shattered world and to preserve what remains of human knowledge. As the former college porter Ashton, who is haunted by his failure to establish a relationship with his son Kye, Ian Toner conveys a convincing mixture of recriminations and regret. As the stranger who enters their refuge, Fionn Ó Loingsigh makes Presley suitably enigmatic as the menace beneath his initially genial exterior is revealed. The play makes its deepest impression as a portrait of existence after a catastrophe which has brought civilisation close to annihilation. The bleakness and desolation are powerfully conveyed, yet beneath the darkness lies a quiet, carefully controlled optimism. Ultimately, A Slow Fire suggests that hope does not depend on fulfilment. As Reece observes, “Having hope is different to having that hope satisfied. The hope is what matters.”
Rated: ★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Alex Brenner
When, Where, Getting there:
%20and%20Ian%20Toner%20(Reece)%20-%20credit%20Alex%20Brenner.jpg)
%20and%20Cast%20of%20Death%20Note%20The%20Musical.%20Credit%20Manuel%20Harlan.jpg)
