Review: A Slow Fire, Jermyn Street Theatre

If you are going to stage a post apocalypse bunker play it needs an intimate, underground space. Top of the list of possibilities? Jermyn Street Theatre – where else?

Survivors Ashton (Ross Gaynor) and Reece (Ian Toner) have carved out a fragile existence with rice, baked beans and strict water rations. To relieve the boredom and maintain some semblance of sanity they have each picked out significant events from their past lives which they re-enact between themselves. It is a clever device from writer Simon Stevens, drip feeding the audience with information whilst maintaining tension and uncertainty. Bit by bit, we learn who they were, who they are now and how they are coping in their desolate world.

Eventually, another survivor crashes into their routine. Presley (Fionn O’Loingsigh) arrives with fresh meat (cause for celebration), a gun (less so) and disruption to the delicate balance between Ashton and Reece. His arrival brings danger, possibility, but no comfort.

Andrew Clancy’s set and Migle Ryan’s costume design work together to sustain a constant claustrophobic pressure. Everything is rendered in a uniform greyish brown, with the notable exception of a vase of bright red tulips. Initially incongruous, the flowers quickly become a visual motif for the recurring theme of hope, revived even after being smashed.

Lighting (Jess Fitzsimons Kane) and sound are always a strength at Jermyn Street, this production being no exception. Alongside well-judged music choices an ominous industrial clanging creates real unease; you can almost feel the apocalyptic winds whipping around the theatre and rain effects are impressively convincing (perhaps helped by a collective wish for a break in the summer drought). Director Rex Ryan is not afraid of silence and those pauses build tension, making the sound effects land with greater force.

Performances are uniformly strong. O’Loingsigh gives us an unhinged sociopath in Presley, though a touch more menace wouldn’t go amiss. Gaynor and Toner convey a deep, hard‑won understanding of and respect for each other, with subtle changes in delivery as they continue to re‑enact their past life events. The power shifts and altered alliances triggered by Presley’s arrival, along with the sense of emotions being bottled up and straining for release, all add to the mounting tension. In a larger venue, I can’t imagine it working quite so well.

The cause of the apocalyptic event remains deliberately ambiguous, though fire is implicated, echoed in the title, red lighting and, of course, the red flowers. There are some neat pieces of foreshadowing to watch for (no spoilers). The play sparked lively discussion during the interval and afterwards, its themes of hope, survival and trust proving thought‑provoking.

Written by Simon Stephens

Directed by Rex Ryan

Produced by Glass Mask Theatre

Costume Design Migle Ryan

Lighting Design Jess Fitzsimons Kane

A Slow Fire runs at Jermyn Street Theatre until Saturday 26 September