Review: Age, Riverside Studios

As Riverside Studios celebrates 50 years of supporting emerging creative work, Bitesize Festival 50, part of the anniversary celebrations, hosts and celebrates emerging talents across the arts. Logan Jones‘ Age is a fascinating tale from childhood to adolescence and adulthood. Aaron Rooney performs in a stark black box setting, using simple muslin drapes to relate compelling stories that shaped both children and adults.

Benefitting from the deft direction of Ella McKeown and careful production by Dela Ruth Hini, Rooney captivates his audience in his narration and depiction of the many challenges and nuances of childhood. Simply clad in T-shirt, shorts and trainers, we meet the vulnerable and exposed eight-year-old, seeking friendship, inclusion and acceptance. There is an intimacy to Rooney’s portrayal that disarms the audience. His performance and narration switch seamlessly across the arc of some 16 years: the negotiation for friendship, perceptions of strength, safety and longing. The limited use of props encourages our focus on Rooney. We ride his rollercoaster of emotions – the laughter, the shared pain, the eventual emergence into adult/parenthood and the maturity to reconcile and renew.

We are privileged to learn of his evolving character from his admiration of Buster Keaton, to playing soldiers at war, to sexual encounters and their consequences. With a slight repositioning of posture, a twist to his mouth, and an altered gaze, Rooney transfixes us as he moves us between characters and eras: the ageless comparisons of aspirations and achievements. We learn of contrasts in the size of a bedroom, the volatility of an expressive, fractured family versus the wealthy who provide materially, but leave us wondering about emotional support.

Swift lighting changes and snatches of music and lyrics from ‘Band on the Run’ (Paul McCartney and Wings) transport us through the decades, as lives intertwine, disperse and reconnect with both caution and tenderness. Occasionally the music drowns out Rooney, but he adapts, recovers and restates, seemingly effortlessly.

There is a particularly complex scene where Rooney transforms a conversation from good natured shoving to being tickled and fighting. His authentic depiction of each stage of this multifaceted communication is truly impressive.

There are so many layers to Age – the sharing of secrets, exploring what death and belonging mean at different points of life, and the traversing of acquaintance, to friendship, trust, exposure, and rejection are all exposed in this short, poignant piece.

Rooney is remarkable in his ability to switch between multiple ages, eras and personae. With an earnest and powerful presence, he is sublime to watch – a great representation of emerging writers and performers that are unafraid, deliberate and enthralling. There are so many themes, contrasts and emotions; the time passes swiftly and leaves us stunned at its sudden conclusion. Despite the many nuances of complex relationships, friendship is indeed evident “… in the spaces between our differences”.

Written by Logan Jones
Directed by Ella McKeown
Produced by Dela Ruth Hini for Ricochet Theatre and Stoke The Embers

Age is a part of Riverside Studio’s Bitesize Festival 2026 (Tuesday 7 July to Friday 31 August) and plays until Saturday 1 August.