Review: HOW TO SURVIVE AN APOCALYPSE, Finborough Theatre

Photo credit: Sam Taylor

The Finborough Theatre, home to international new writing and unique revivals is open again, with a new play by Canadian writer Jordan Hall called How to Survive An Apocalypse. The theatre has been closed for the past 18 months, and how wonderful it is to be back. Congratulations to the team who have been working so hard to reopen its doors.

This seemed to be a fitting choice to reopen with; a tongue in cheek, playful comedy which grapples with ever pressing themes such as the anxiety surrounding the general decrepit state of the world and the fear of civilisation’s (as we know it) impending doom. All neatly explored through the intricate relationship dynamics between its 4 protagonists: hip young husband and wife Tim and Jenny, Jenny’s best friend Abby and Jenny’s colleague Bruce, whom she claims to despise for representing everything which she doesn’t believe in.

Jenny, unfulfilled by her stagnating career as a magazine editor, having written stories in her 20s and never achieving her dreams as a writer, is frustrated with unemployed husband Tim, a soft-hearted gaming engineer who is ongoingly ‘job hunting’ and not helping with the bills. Jenny’s colleague Bruce, the alpha male, prides himself in being ‘self-sufficient’, shooting ducks in his back garden and bringing them round for dinner as a supposed testament to his survivalist talents.  Tensions rise, Jenny sets up her friend Abby (recently broken up with) with Bruce, later becoming jealous of this arrangement. The four go camping, which results essentially in a lot of things going hay wire, relationships being tested, and a hilarious, over the top physical fight where all human rationalisation goes out of the window and the ‘animal’ nature of the quartet comes out to bear all light…

Gorgeous and innovative set design by Ceci Calf creates a playful ground for the actors to inhabit, setting the scene for shifting locations from Jenny and Tim’s cosy, modern apartment to Jenny’s office, even to camping grounds. The wooden structure made by Calf reaches the height of the theatre’s ceiling, with beams which curve beautifully to reflect the lighting by Adam King, creating strong atmospheres for these changing locations.

The piece is well directed by Jimmy Walters who sets a quick tempo to the entire evening, making this 2 hour 15 minute play feel like quite the breeze. Moments that are more intimate provide a welcome contrast to the quick fired pacing of the show which, at times, feels a little too on the front foot, such as Abi and Bruce’s date where soft jazz plays in the background accompanying their intimate tete-a-tete. A moment between Bruce and Jenny follows later, matching this slower tempo as the two are careful not to wake up their partners who lie sleeping in tents next to them. The shifting dynamics between the four actors are interesting to watch.

This new play by Jordan Hall manages to approach themes of survivalism in a light-hearted manner through the navigation of relationships, friendships and career anxieties in adults in their early 30s’ and is a welcome piece for our current state of flux.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Viv Williams

How To Survive An Apocalypse runs until 23 October 2021, with tickets available here.