Review: Down The Road, Playhouse East

In a world where our entertainment is saturated with true crime, Playhouse East’s inaugural production, Down The Road’s questions this macabre fascination and feels more relevant than ever. Lee Blessing’s 1991 play now feels strikingly ahead of its time, looking at the appeal that society has with serial killers and violent actions. 

Married journalists Iris (Annelise Bianchini) and Dan (Aaron Vodovoz) are sent to spend a month interviewing serial killer Bill Reach (Joshua Collins). Reach is determined to live on in history, believing his murders give him an infamy that will last long after his death in jail. Iris and Dan are keen to uncover his story, convinced there are more murders he has yet to admit. Their motivations aren’t purely journalistic; they want an exclusive to turn the book into a guaranteed bestseller. Their prison visits feel very repetitive, each time they speak with Reach, he dangles perhaps some revelation, an unknown murder, they come into conflict over what topic they’ll talk about today and in turn the journalists fall out with Reach making their next visit uncomfortable before his toying with them repeats.

As they spend more time with him Iris and Dan’s focus begins to blur. The isolation of the tiny town with little more than a jail and a handful of forgettable streets wears on them. Petty distractions creep in, pulling them away from their purpose. With each passing day, it becomes harder to leave Reach behind, locked in his cell and his shadow stays with them after they leave the jail, following them back to their motel room, creeping into their thoughts. 

The staging is a contradiction, at times clunky, especially early on when changing between their motel room and Reach’s prison cell, but later director Tracy Mathewson brings out a wonderful image as Reach starts to haunt the motel room that the journalists live in. He wanders through their room, out of the bathroom, side by side with them, through their lives, sitting with them watching TV. It delivers a strong visual staging of how Reach has seeped into not just their lives, but also their relationship.

Bianchini and Vodovoz are at their most effective showing Iris and Dan’s relationship with each other rather than with Reach. The latter feeling like the script needed more work to really make those interactions fully work. Collins is excellent, as we spend more time with Reach, his smirk turns into something more. He exudes charisma and magnetism but also malevolence. When he singles out people in the front row, talking about Reach’s murders and asking questions, the sense of threat is palpable. It’s sufficiently threatening that I wondered for a moment if there should be a content warning about it! The play does not hold back here and it’s remarkably effective, what starts with humour turns into something that visibly leaves the audience unsettled. 

Running at 90 minutes, Down the Road keeps the audience’s attention – at times absolutely demanding it. There is a lot to like and a lot that is relevant to our world and our choice of entertainment today without offering us any easy answers. It’s a well-timed revival and suggests perhaps just how far ahead of the curve Lee Blessing was back in 1991.

Written by: Lee Blessing
Directed by: Tracy Mathewson
Design by: Katren Wood
Lighting Design by: James Oldham
Composer & Sound Design by: Sam Rothera

Down The Road plays at Playhouse East until 29th March.

A quick note on Playhouse East: a warm welcome from the bar staff and front-of-house sets the tone. Downstairs, a comfortable pub offers a spot for a pre-show drink before heading up to a large theatre space. Currently staged in traverse, the action unfolds between two banks of seating. As much of the play involves the cast sitting and with no rake on the second row, I’d recommend the front row or raised third-row sections. I look forward to my next visit; it’s a great addition to London’s theatres.