Stage: Learning to let go

Lost Watches
by Lorenzo Allchurch
director Alex Helfrecht
with Lorenzo Allchurch (Allen), Gabriella Moran (mother/father/Jack), Leah Aspden (PC Dread), Jason Isaacs (William Burroughs)
composer Dominic Brennan • lighting Nell Golledge
production design Rob Davis • costumes Trynity Silk
Park Theatre, London • 30.Jul-23.Aug.25 ★★★

As absurdist dark comedy, this offbeat new play is packed with haunting insight and clever interaction. It's very cleverly staged with a striking set design, lighting effects and a superb cast that brings a natural spark to their complex roles. It's also deliberately evasive, playing with enormous ideas in often rather silly ways that leave us on the outside of the story. So we never really feel the huge emotions that are gurgling up everywhere. But there's plenty to think about.

It centres on Allen (playwright Lorenzo Allchurch), a hapless young guy living in his family's sprawling home after the death of his mother. He hangs out in her sculpting shed, where his closest companion is a huge bust of William Burroughs (voiced by Jason Isaacs), which pokes and prods Allen with sneery wordplay. He's visited by his competitive brother Jack, their absent father and the ghost of their mother (all played by Gabriella Moran). And a local cop (Leah Aspden) comes to investigate strange noises and other things going on here.

Allen can't afford to keep this house, and the bank is about to foreclose. But he is frozen in inaction, unable to decide what to do or how to move on. And he has never dealt with issues that have haunted him since his childhood. Burroughs' sardonic suggestions aren't helping, and neither are the other people around him, real or imaginary. So it's clear that fate needs to step in, and indeed it does.

On a very effective minimalist black stage that features inventive props, lights and projections, Allchurch gives a full-on performance, spiralling through this situation as a young man who isn't really searching for answers, but he needs them. It's a fascinating performance, even if the play itself becomes a bit frustrating as it spins in nutty circles with its impenetrable dialog and some surprising swerves in the plot. Thankfully, the psychological intensity of it all holds the interest.

The key idea here is that we all need to find a way to let go of things that prevent us from moving forward with our lives, including objects, places and even the memories that keep us stuck in place. And of course mental health issues are also part of the conversation. All of this comes through with a provocative kick in the dense dialog and plotting, which flips into an unexpected final scene that offers a glimmer of hope. 

For details, PARK THEATRE > 

photos by Mark Senior • 1.Aug.25