Review: One Breath Before The End, The Glitch

Everyone is pointing at the sky, screaming that the end is nigh. It’s the last night on earth. Perhaps it is a fever dream, perhaps fake news, perhaps conspiracy theory but no, it seems like it might really be the end. So old friends Oliver (Lewis Noble), Kieron (James Chetwood), and Ash (Joshua Sinclair-Evans) retreat to their childhood hangout – a derelict underground parking lot. Armed with Lucozade and sandwiches they don’t really have a plan for the evening – just to be together. 

The friendship between the three lads feels very real, very natural. Stephen Leech’s script is very effective in the opening moments with their banter and conversation quickly establishing a strong bond with years of shared history – well realised by the cast.

Ruth Varela’s set design fits well in the basement of The Glitch, with scattered debris around an old shopping trolley lending a sense of decay – you might almost expect to see an abandoned beaten-up car in the corner. The background sound of explosions and violence from outside constantly seeps through, sometimes loud enough to break into the action. The choice to leave this ambiguous and provide no details on the actual events outside works well and raises the stakes for the smaller scale drama between the characters. One Breath Before The End is more interested in the weight of history on its characters than of the dying world.

Their already strange evening gets stranger with the arrival of Phoebe (Olivia Le May) whom they have not seen or spoken to in almost a decade. Ten years ago, Phoebe killed Ash’s then-girlfriend, May, and injured Oliver while drink-driving. Now, she is just days out of prison. There’s an intriguing theme on what could have been. It sounds like the group may have regularly driven drunk, that Phoebe only drove on that particular evening as she was the least drunk. Clearly responsible for her own actions and the loss of life, does she have a point that it could have been any of them and they have ostracised her too much?

Some of the script feels contrived relying on a convenient device for characters to move off stage leaving Phoebe alone with each of the young men in turn. By the time we reach the third, the pattern feels forced and I’m wondering what the reason found for it will be. The repetitive structure limits some of the characters’ story, with themes loosely touched on. The really compelling ideas – forgiveness and grace – feel underexplored. That said, it does raise an interesting question about whether revenge or vengeance ultimately wins out.

One Breath Before The End is an atmospheric piece of new writing, brought to life by strong performances. It’s an engaging exploration of friendship, confronting the limits of grace and forgiveness and how the events of the past can sometimes haunt us.

Written by Stephen Leach
Directed by Mimi Collins
Set Design Ruth Varela
Produced by 1912 Productions

One Breath Before The End has concluded its tour.