Stage: Laughing through the pain

Double Act
by Nick Hyde
director Jef Hall-Flavin
with Nick Hyde, Oliver Maynard
set Christophe Eynde
lighting Holly Ellis • sound Frederick Waxman
Southwark Playhouse Borough, London • 19.Mar-5.Apr.25 ★★★★

Fiercely inventive, this dark drama has the look and feel of a vintage comedy, with elements of Pierrot-style mime and Three Stooges-esque slapstick clownery telling a properly bleak story of a young man at the very end of his rope. It's sharply performed to keep the audience engaged, with a continual stream of smart visual touches that push the boundaries in ways that force us to think. And since it's exploring the nature of suicidal intentions, it's also vitally important.

Nick Hyde and Oliver Maynard appear on-stage as mimes, although they also have microphones into which they speak in a double-headed stream of consciousness that reflects the mindset of a single young man. Sometimes in synch, finishing each others' thoughts or diverging entirely, they represent a stormy internal monologue as this guy decides to skip work, wander through central London and then head by train to the coastline in Eastbourne. He speaks to his boss, dodges calls from his mum and runs into both friends and strangers along the way. This is how he has decided to spend his very last day.

What's most remarkable is that we never lose the thread, even as dialog spins between the actors and characters with a rapid-fire delivery of comedy and emotional resonance. This man is determined to walk forward, "neck straight ahead", and not let anyone disrupt him. But each encounter eats away at him, as do tiny things that happen along the way. All of this is written and staged in an intentional way that sometimes feels rather over-thought. But we feel every emotion, light and dark, and the cumulative effect is powerfully gripping.

The staging is very clever, using terrific props, little tricks and witty signage to propel things forward through a number of astutely hilarious set pieces. A section touching on tube etiquette includes a romantic daydream and a crazed moment of toxic masculinity. A scene in a public toilet is riotously funny. A white rubbish bin produces and collects props, becoming a symbol for self-criticism. And there are amusing running jokes about things like journalling and children's literature. Through all of this, Hyde and Maynard totally inhabit the two sides of this guy's mind, as well as a number of vivid side characters.

Both actors have such an openly emotive presence on stage that it's impossible for us to resist them. We feel each pang of their glee, anger and deeper pain. So even if we understand that this man's despair is rooted in his youthful point of view, we can see that it's very, very real for him. Still, there's something inside that keeps delaying him from his final destination. And by the time he wipes off the mask and gets real with himself, the play hits home with real force. It might be a bit gimmicky, but this show is urgent and essential.

For details, SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE >

photos by Tanya Pabaru • 21.Mar.25