Review: DRIFTING at Southwark Playhouse Borough

Writer/director Andrew Muir in collaboration with Ardent8 Ensemble was responsible for developing DRIFTING, which is currently playing at the small space within Southwark Playhouse. In it, Trae Walsh plays the young man whose inertia and inability to act on his perpetually voiced intention to escape, reveals itself through various interactions with parents, friends, co-workers and other less obvious and other-worldly individuals. Initially, he seems irritatingly fixated on blaming fate, his parents and even a fairly lame fear of heights (which manifests on the third rung of a stepladder), for his inability to escape his hopeless situation, which means he is still working at an entry level role stacking shelves a full five years after joining the company. For the most part, however, everyone accepts that transport issues caused by fog (or is it mist?), is the real thing thwarting his attempts to abscond to the city where he imagines he’ll find success, discover his true calling and presumably the meaning of life.

One of the first things to note is the fine troupe of largely young performers who each manage to eke-out just enough personality from their disparate characters for us to maintain a semblance of concern for what happens to them. That aside, the issue (if indeed there is one) is that the text feels written/developed in such a horribly self-conscious way. Inconsequential lines are teased and poured over in an attempt to imbue meaning and gravitas to everything, even when specific events don’t warrant the effort. It has the effect of hampering pace and generally adds little but obfuscation. There’s almost a nod to Becket and Pinter in the ponderous pauses and meaningful stares exchanged between co-workers, family members and those romantically linked. There’s an extended debacle with a £10 note, an OTT rant triggered by a misunderstanding over a National Lottery win, and the aforementioned stepladder makes a determined reappearance on several occasions. These veiled attempts at profundity, however, never really land or stick meaningfully, and as a consequence, the piece has a tendency to morph into a meandering metaphysical marathon, which isn’t always fully comprehensible nor riveting entertainment.

Those performing in the production:

Toby Bart (Father), Olivia McGrath (Stranger), Trae Walsh (Young Man), Olivia Israel (Arcade Assistant), Phoebe Woodbridge (Mother), Yarrow Spillane (Girlfriend), Amirah Alabere (Work Colleague) and Lewis Allen (Manager).

Drifting plays at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 22 November.