Among Angels

The Courtyard Theatre, 3rd Apr - 27th Apr

When historians look back at the queer theatre being produced throughout this decade they will be forgiven for thinking that the chemsex party scene was the norm rather than the exception as the recreational activity of choice for the modern gay community, it providing the dramatic backdrop around which many playwrights are currently weaving their stories on the queer theatre fringe. In the first few months of 2019 alone we have had the powerful Undetectable by Tom Wright, Adam Zane’s Jock Night is opening at The Kings Head Theatre next month, and currently sandwiched between these two is Timothy Graves play Among Angels at The Courtyard Theatre until 27th April.

Billed as a play about love, addiction and redemption, Graves certainly takes an unconventional approach to the subject matter as we witness Chris, (played by Stephen Papaioannou) living under the watchful eye of a pair of angels as he spirals ever deeper into a chemsex fuelled underworld. Far from being the quiet, observant, meditative earth locked angels like those found in Wim Wenders film Wings Of Desire, these are more reminiscent of the ‘Droogs’ seen in Stanley Kubrick’s film A Clockwork Orange, complete with the buttoned up white shirt and white trouser uniform. Their faces are secreted behind venetian masks, their speech unnervingly monotone and robotic, their movement surprisingly awkward for such angelic apparitions.

With the arrival of a third angel, (Kieran Faulkner), Chris is shown the moments that follow his overdose on crystal meth at a chemsex party in much the same way Scrooge was shown the immediate aftermath of his own demise by the ghost of Christmas future in Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol, and whilst there’s no denying it’s an interesting angle to come at the subject matter, the Dickensian similarities unfortunately didn’t end there for me, as the character of Pete, (Christopher Hardcastle) a leather clad daddy who has seduced a ‘long line of twink waifs and strays’ into the drug fuelled parties held in his apartment, unfortunately comes across a bit too much like a latter day Fagin who, although occasionally bristling with impressive hints of a sleazy darkness, more often gives these otherwise unnerving scenes a rather more pantomime-esque quality, as he shuffles from side to side wringing his hands with an almost cartoon-like malevolence. 

It’s not the first time this production falters in finding a consistent and convincing tone. From the plays opening scenes where we find Chris being interrogated, having found himself accused of an alleged rape, (the relevance of which never seems to be fully explained) the two police inspectors (Christopher Hardcastle / Tommy Papaioannou) also come across as something more of a comedic caricature, once again feeling at odds with the 21st century ‘grotty part of the East End’ the play is set. 

Director Peter Taylor does manage to bring the story to a genuinely heartfelt conclusion however, credit for which must also go to Stephen Papaioannou and Keiran Faulkner’s performances that seem to come alive once the play has finally been stripped of some of it’s more complex and distracting layers. Andrew Armitage also gives an impressive performance when freed from the limitations of his angel role, returning to the stage in the guise of several other characters, and Jordan Moffatt’s impressive sound design does a great scene-setting job in it’s underscore of the action and accompanying scene transitions.

Whilst Among Angels can at times trip over its own ambition, first time playwright Timothy Graves still manages to present an original look at London’s chemsex party scene.

★★★

Production Photos: Craig Fuller