Review: AFTER THE END, Theatre Royal Stratford East

Photo credit: The Other Richard

Amidst Covid and horrific outbreaks of war, you could expect Dennis Kelley’s new dystopian drama After The End to be a rather bleak piece exploring the aftermath of a nuclear destruction; particularly unnerving in a time when such themes take on new weight.

Despite the setting for the piece and its dark themes, what is surprising is the close focus of the play being in fact on the relationship dynamics between two co-workers who are locked in a bunker for two weeks together. 

Lyndsey Turner’s direction finds a lot of comedy between the two characters, geniously performed by Nick Blood and Amaka Okafor who are incredibly organic and receptive to one another on stage. The characterisations are strong, we hang onto every quip as they jostle and jest with one another, keeping our curiosity about what type of ever shifting dynamic these two people have with one another. Stakes seem relatively low at the beginning as they mostly tease one another, however scenes quickly darken and shift in the territory between these two who increasingly seem to pose a threat to each other's health and safety, both psychologically and physically. 

Peter MacKintosh's stark set design is lit beautifully by Tim Lutkin; both create a very strong and palpable atmosphere for the characters to inhabit in this doomed underground bunker with limited resources of heat and light.

Kelley’s new play leaves the audience with a lot of questions, and could perhaps have done with a second act where more of the aftermath of the horrific events presented are explored in more depth, particularly giving more time to the character arcs as they change significantly after a violent act in the final scene.

As with many dystopian doomsday pieces, the narrative doesn’t quite come to a finish and rather leaves us hanging slightly too confused to decipher any tangible meaning from the play. Perhaps this is the intention and despite this lack of clarity, the piece is still very entertaining, stimulating, ever shifting and an interesting, yet at times slightly surface, psychological investigation into what may happen when two very different people are kept in one space for slightly too long.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Viv Williams

After The End plays at Theatre Royal Stratford East until 26 March, with tickets available here.