Afterglow
Waterloo East Theatre, 17th Oct - 24th Nov 2019
Anyone who checks out our theatre reviews on a regular basis will have already noticed that this is the second time Afterglow is getting a Jack The Lad review due to its return to the London stage. This time around it’s not only found a brand new home at the rather more compact Waterloo East Theatre, but there’s also a brand new cast in place to perform this tale of a polyamorous relationship in meltdown when a married couples self imposed guidelines begin to break down.
The previous production was a play not without problems when last seen at the Southwark Playhouse, but I made an early decision not to re-read Jack The Lad’s original 3 star review in order to come to this production with as clean a slate as possible. Regardless of not being the only reviewer to have had a few issues with the original play, there is no denying that it had managed to put a fair few bum’s on seats during it’s original 6 week run and so, no more than three months later, it has retuned for a fairly lengthy second London run. The question is will the plays issues have been resolved this time around?
Things certainly got off to a good start and not just because the play opens as before with the three male leads vigorously making out on a bed, a scene that leaves precious little to the imagination. Needless to say, second time around the recurring ‘in your face’ nudity doesn’t come as quite so much of a surprise, but having been allocated front row seats in this noticeably smaller venue, ‘in-your-face’ is exactly what it was, leaving me a little unsure of the etiquette regarding drinking a beer whilst watching three naked guys get it on almost in arms reach! (I politely waited until they had finished!)
Nudity aside, as the play gets into its stride it quickly becomes apparent that the chemistry between the three male leads is noticeably more dynamic and engaging than before. The cast are still gym chiselled and buff, but gone is the sense that these three muscular leads are as easily interchangeable as before… all three of the new actors able to infuse their characters with much more clearly defined and individual personalities, which immediately puts this production on a much firmer footing.
This certainly helps when it comes down to feeling invested in the journey of Alex (a show stealing performance from Peter McPherson) and Josh (Adi Chugh) who, having invited a younger third, Darius (Benjamin Aluwihare) into their relationship, discover the difficulties of negotiating a successful polyamorous relationship. Having noticed things start to get more serious between Josh and Darius, Alex is quick to inform Darius, “I do not see you as a threat”, almost as a way of trying to convince himself that a bit of jealously in a relationship only reinforces the depth of the love he feels. It’s a tricky landscape to negotiate but through the somewhat naive, wide-eyed innocence Aluwihare convincingly manages to bring to a very likeable Darius, alongside McPherson’s ability to take the audience with him through a whole gamut of emotions as the shifting parameters of his relationship begin to spin out of control, this latest production of Afterglow has definitely found the heart it previously lacked, bringing an intensity to the emotional arc of all three characters.
Chugh isn't quite able to match the nuanced range of McPherson’s performance as he portrays Josh through his various states of love, lust, obsession and loss, which ultimately leaves his character looking rather more weak than emotionally torn. It’s unfortunate given the depth of the effect his actions are having on the lives of those he profess’s to care about. This also isn’t helped by his character being given one of the fastest emotional turnarounds I have seen in theatre, (other than in the previous production of Afterglow) when Josh, unable to drag himself from the couch in what we believe to be the depths of depression, springs to his feet seemingly completely recovered the instant he is given permission from Alex to start seeing Darius again, robbing the scene of any authentic emotional depth in the process. With his actions feeling more akin to those of a petulant toddler, this problematic moment can’t be laid at Chugh’s door, given it was one of the more unconvincing scenes in the original, and as such it was a surprise to have seen it resurface unchanged here. That said, there is definitely more than enough that has changed since the previous production to make Afterglow well worth a second viewing, or if you haven’t seen it before this might be a good time to discover the pleasures and pitfalls of polyamory.
★★★★
