An Instinct – Old Red Lion Theatre, Angel

Writer: Hugo Timbrell
Director: Lucy Foster

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

“Unnerving“

4 / 5

A deadly virus is sweeping the UK, residents urged to stay inside and minimise contact. Panicked Max immediately calls his responsible ex-boyfriend Tom, who quickly whisks him off to a cabin in the woods to lockdown in. But is the threat inside worse than the one outside?

Tom (Joe Walsham) has always looked out for Max – serious and settled, it’s no wonder Max (Connor Dumbrell) turned to him during the crisis instead of his carefree, sceptical current boyfriend Charlie (Ben Norris). All Max knows is that he doesn’t want to take any chances – his anxiety and indecisive nature threatening to derail him. But as the weeks go on, locked away in the cabin with Tom, old wounds are picked and his own curiosities are sparked, the segregation from the outside world and lack of WiFi making him second guess Tom’s motives, and when Charlie shows up with a completely different side of the story, he doesn’t know who, or what to believe.

Hugo Timbrell’s brilliantly thrilling drama is packed with lies, intrigue, shock and suspense in equal measure. It’s strength lies in the fact that it’s purposefully ambiguous right up to the final scenes, making the audience themselves question what is the actual truth at the heart of the storyline. It’s the grey areas where seeds of doubt are planted, that keep the suspense rife throughout – one moment certain the plot is heading one way, before being hurtled in the opposite direction in this fabulously twisting narrative. There are some repetitive, unnecessary speeches made towards the latter half of the play, that spell everything out a little too much, which threaten to dilute the otherwise well polished, sharply written dialogue, though these are thankfully fleeting it would be a better flowing script if they could either be re-worked or removed.

The isolation of the cabin is believable and unnerving, with Julian Starr’s sound design creating a brilliantly unsettling atmosphere as the wind rages outside. Dumbrell, Norris & Walsham have excellent chemistry, their interactions realistic and engaging, none of their characters completely unlikeable to make them immediate villains, yet also not so warm that you root for any of them from the outset, which is wonderfully enjoyable as you try to unpick the mystery behind the storyline and their interconnecting relationships.

Runs until 6th December