Writer: Stuart Slade
Director: Karen Holley
Reviewer: Christine Stanton
“Captivating Characters”
4 / 5
When a passenger plane was shot out of the sky, hundreds of people were affected – whether it was directly, close family members, or people who have severe PTSD due to the traumatic events of that fateful day in Fulham.
A survivors support group meet regularly to try and heal from the devastating events, each very different personalities and impacted in their own ways. Graham (Adam Paul Brown) was first on the scene, a van driver who called for London to stay strong, and became a heroic face of the incident. Clive (Hasan Shah) lost his father in the crash, heartbroken that he never had a chance to say goodbye properly. Ana (Ema Pasic) was injured in the crash, burned severely and left physically impaired. Alex (Jack Hinckley) tragically lost both his girlfriend and his best friend, finding out not only about their loss, but also about the secret affair they’d been embarking on for months. Izzy (Syama Rayner) discovered on Twitter that her mother was one of the victims, doing her best to heal her grief by trying to connect with others in the group. Floss (Grace Borer) was at home, but will never forget a passenger landing, and subsequently dying in her garden.
Despite the harrowing, intense subject matter, Stuart Slade’s verbatim style play is surprisingly, very, very funny. The elements of dark comedy and well-established, captivating characters are woven through the interview style monologues extremely well, balancing humour, shock and emotion perfectly. Each of the six support group members talk about the aftermath of the crash and the ways their lives have changed, slowly fleshing out the storyline through their recollections, and forming connections with each other. Part of the reason it works so well is down to the variety of each character’s story and personality – Alex’s monologues bring a lot of humour, Ana’s story in comparison is very touching, and Graham’s politically incorrect outbursts add a shocking unexpected layer.
Running at just over an hour long, the pacing is well done, with Karen Holley’s direction ensuring that the story is constantly moving and progressing with each snippet of everyone’s story. There is a good mix between monologue and occasional character interaction, and the six create a believable medley of people from different walks of life. Each of the cast are great – but Hinckley in particular absolutely nails it as the “wanker banker” Alex, with every smug gesture or cocky comment delivering some extremely funny scenes. Shah, Borer and Rayner successfully capture moments of emotion and grief, while also adding warmth and humour during their moments of romantic interest in other characters. Brown’s confidence ensures his delivery of selfish, prejudiced Graham creates appropriate shock and intrigue into his background, while Pasic ensures her emotional monologues are moving and impactful. A well layered, unique show.
Runs until 25th October 2026
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