Review: WALKING EACH OTHER HOME at Old Red Lion, Islington

Since his wife died and his surviving children moved away, Frank (Christopher Poke) lives alone at the aforementioned remote locale. It's not difficult to understand why his offspring left. Possessing more than a few Empire-glorying, dinosaur attitudes, he succumbs to dementia-induced bouts of frustration and anger, lashing-out and conjuring imaginary visitors. Home Services provide some support in the guise of a calm and friendly young Sikh man Sandeep (Amrik Tumber) who comes round to help with bathing and other matters, including the fixing of a broken stained glass window pane. The damage, we learn, was recently caused when the police had to break into the property after Frank was found wandering and discombobulated, having locked himself out. Estranged son Michael (Edward Fisher) has rushed home from his sojourn in the Peruvian Amazon to get a grip on the situation, but communications between father and son are fractured and loaded with a stilted bitterness borne of an acrimonious, shame-laden, gay childhood history.

The title has presumably been drawn from Ram Dass's yoga and spirituality teachings, which were closely associated with his experimentation with psychedelics from the 1960s onwards. Here, Michael's own experimentation with drugs is raked over and criticised by his father and then trumped by the mild mannered Sandeep who confesses to a period as a heroin user! This surprising revelation of an unexpected shared experience seemingly brings the previously mistrustful pair, together. Thereafter, they discuss the spiritual significance of iridescent blue Morpho butterflies, they tip-toe into terrible Tories territory, take a momentary pot-shot at the even more terrible Trump and Farage collective, and land on the immanence of nuclear Armageddon. It's all jolly au courant.

Directed by Jason Marc-Williams, on a Spartan set primarily comprised of a doorway, two-seater sofa and (for one scene) a bath, the performances for the most part lack sufficient subtlety to land the material with any creditable pathos, save Amrik Tumber's health worker Sandeep. By downplaying and neutralising the excess of emotion in the self-conscious dialogue (which is peppered with clunky and unnatural phrases), the actor mirrors his character's gentle ability when contending with the fractious combativeness which frequently erupts between Frank and Michael.

WALKING EACH OTHER HOME is a noble effort which suffers from trying to cover too much territory, finally landing on exhausted introspection. It's 90mins running time (with an interval) outstays its welcome by 10 mins which could be sharpened and would allow for a sprightlier straight-through format. Ultimately, the piece left me wondering where I'd put that yoga retreat booking form.

Continues at The Old Red Lion Theatre, Islington, until 16th May.