Review: VINCENT RIVER, Green Carnation - Hope Mill Theatre

Photo credit: Shay Rowan

Manchester-based theatre company Green Carnation are dedicated to sharing queer stories and the new works of creatives in the LGBTQ+ community with the nation, and they return to Hope Mill Theatre, where they began back in 2018, with their latest production.

Vincent River is a psychological thriller of a play by Philip Ridley that explores themes of sexuality, loss and hate crime.  Having never met prior, Davey and Anita’s lives cross paths as they both seek answers about Vincent, the one person who connects them, but they discover that knowing the truth has its consequences.

Ridley’s writing is exceptionally captivating; as the story unravels, the audience remains enraptured by plot twists and revelations.  Originally written at the dawn of the 21st century, the story of a victim of homophobic hate crime rang true, and unfortunately the themes of Ridley’s play are still relevant over 20 years later despite the progression of LGBTQ+ rights in the UK.

This two-person play stars Maddy Myles as Anita and Rory McMenamin as Davey, both of whom have been excellently cast in their roles and they each give an enthralling performance throughout.  With the direction of Dan Ellis and Dan Jarvis, the performances of Myles and McMenamin brilliantly build tension as they paint an image of the characters’ experiences for the audience to visualise in their imagination.

The set and lighting design from Eleanor Ferguson and Ellen Butterworth-Evans is fairly stripped back yet effective to create an as yet uninhabited home with boxes strewn around the stage and plastic sheets covering mismatched furniture as well as forming the walls.  Bordering the stage is a low barbed wire fence; this fence is not only a reference to the barbed wire described in the story, but also seems to act as a metaphor for the line that Davey and Anita are crossing and hurting themselves on in order to get the truth they long for - a clever little detail which adds to the production.

Green Carnation’s production of Philip Ridley’s Vincent River at Hope Mill Theatre is thrilling, chilling and spine-tingling.  Although unfortunate that the themes of the story are still relevant in the world we live in today, this gripping play is fantastically produced and both Maddy Myles and Rory McMenamin give heartbreakingly powerful performances that are certainly worth a watch.

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: Jess Dalloway

Vincent River plays at the Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester until 19 October, with tickets available here.