Review: Black Velvet, Old Red Lion Theatre

Camden Fringe

Black Velvet looks at the complex terrain of grief through a dark comedic lens but ultimately falls short of its potential. The play’s central premise – a chance encounter between two grieving individuals in a graveyard – offers intriguing possibilities for exploration. However, the execution is inconsistent and leaves the audience struggling to really engage with the characters.

Visiting his mother’s grave, Llew (Charles Ison) does not expect a voice to answer his chatting as he finds Aoife (Christina Knight) awakened from a slumber behind the grave. Ison’s portrayal of Lew is initially nervous but strays overboard into frantic, often overdoing it when a little more nuance would be much more effective. Lew’s attempts to connect with the considerably younger Aoife veer into patronising territory, hindering the development of a genuine relationship. His ongoing need to explain and even berate creates a sense of detachment and makes it difficult to empathise with his character. While there is a clear undercurrent of vulnerability beneath his facade, this layer remains underdeveloped and instead we spend time on an unnecessary backstory of a young daughter. Knight, on the other hand, delivers a more consistent performance, conveying Aofie’s raw grief and frequently showing us real depths to this despair, although with a little more shouting than is necessary in the small space of Old Red Lion.

While bickering and arguing, they share parts of the reasons that brought them to the graveyard and find a connection, albeit a strange one, in their losses. However, neither character feels really rounded, making it difficult to truly connect with them or invest in their journey through and beyond their grief. Although there are moments of reflection and insight about the fullness of grief and about moving on, the barriers make it a challenge to understand or empathise with them. The age difference between Llew and Aoife is acknowledged but not fully explored, leading to uncomfortable moments with him giving her wine and her lunging in for a kiss and it never quite sits right.

There is a lot of potential here in Black Velvet. The dark humour provides some funny moments amidst the heavy subject of grief and there is more than enough to suggest it could evolve into a more engaging and emotionally resonant piece. For now, it’s a mixed bag that leaves you wanting a bit more from its intriguing setup.

Written by Christina Knight
Directed by Eamon O’Flynn

Black Velvet played at Old Red Lion as part of Camden Fringe.