Produced by Original Theatre (who have brought us some fantastic productions, both online and onstage, including The Haunting of Alice Bowles, Being Mr Wickham and The Hound of the Baskervilles), The Red is their newest online production and it lives up to any expectations previously demonstrated.

Written by Marcus Brigstocke, it is partly biographical and tells the story of Father and Son.  Father has a love for all things wine, whether that is drinking it, collecting it or sharing it with family and friends. His son, however, is a recovering alcoholic, having battled with sobriety since he was 14.

On the day of his Father’s funeral, Benedict discovers that his Father has left him a bottle of wine.  Not just any bottle of wine though, this is an exceptionally fine red wine that his Father bought because it was bottled in the year Benedict was born. His last wish is for his son to enjoy it …., but only if he wants to… 

Directed by Charlotte Peters and with real life Father and son, Bruce and Sam Alexander playing the character roles, this production has a feeling of family angst and connections from the start.

Although this is a recorded version of the play, it does not lose the intimacy or closeness that we imagine the staged production would have. The design by Alex Marker and lighting by Matt Haskins brings an atmosphere of warmth with a slight rusticness to it, enhancing the feeling of an awkward yet caring conversation between parent and child.

The story itself is one that can be related to or at the very least empathised with; the struggle to please a parent whilst battling our own demons and not wanting to mess everything up. 

Where does the blame lie? Who is looking to gain acceptance and understanding from whom? At what point do we take responsibility for our own actions?

This is an excellent piece of theatre.

Charming, compelling and entertaining.

**** Four stars

Reviewed by: Rachel Louise Martin

You can find The Red online until 16 June here.