Clarkston review – strong performances shine light onto dark subject matter

The West End debut of two actors from the Marvel Cinematic Universe has drawn much of the conversation about new play Clarkston, but the performances of all three lead actors are strong.

The 90-minute production from writer Samuel D Hunter (The Whale) and director Jack Serio (Grangeville) stars Joe Locke (Agatha All Along) and Ruaridh Mollica (Vision Quest) alongside Sophie Melville (The Way).

Locke plays Jake, a young man newly diagnosed with degenerative illness Huntingdon’s disease which means he likely won’t live past 30. Treading the path of distant relative William Clark, Jake ends up in Clarkston, where not only will his life change, but his actions will directly impact the lives of two others as he tries to make his own matter.

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Mollica perhaps shines brightest as Chris, dealing with being closeted in rural America and his meth-addicted mother, Trisha. As such it’s him that the audience will have the most empathy for.

Both meet working the night-shift in Costco – with Jake quickly blurting his story out and Chris slowly opening up about his aspirations and home life. Much of the play is staged in a makeshift warehouse, or on the perimeter of it – although it doesn’t actually need much more design to work, it’s possibly hindered by having audience members inexplicably seated on the stage, which can at times be distracting.

Fortunately each of the cast is captivating in their own way, with great stage presence, comedy timing and drama across the board.

Trisha ultimately stalks and manipulates both boys as she tries to resolve her issues to her own gain – while not likeable as a character, the performance by Melville is strong, despite not having much stage time.

Also of particular note are the sound and lighting design, the former (George Dennis) at first subtle yet smart in creating an illusion of the wider world, while the latter (Stacey Derosier) cleverly gives the impression that it’s simply the existing theatre framework being utilised.

Both come together for the finale, fusing in a way that gives the production a greater scale and in many ways an additional character that’s been bubbling under throughout.

This quietly engaging human drama is a refreshing antidote to other types of gay theatre – it’s about quiet gay lives, which are equally as deserving of exploring and arguably the majority. No threesomes, chemsex or sex scenes here.

It’s a script heavy with sadness, but also littered with hope, though perhaps already somewhat dated since its 2015 US debut.

Clarkston is showing at Trafalgar Theatre, London until 22 November.

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