Writer: Vkinn Vats
Director: Isabel Steuble Johnson
Echoes of Empires places an interracial couple under scrutiny, using their relationship as a lens through which to explore the lingering impact of colonialism. Aarav, originally from India, remains in the UK with his partner Eleanor after their university graduation. Two years on, their relationship is at a crossroads. The arrival of two of Eleanor’s university friends becomes a catalyst for uncomfortable truths to surface.
The text oscillates between poetic introspection and pointed dialogue, allowing the characters to articulate their internal conflicts with striking directness. At its best, the play is unafraid to tackle the residual weight of empire in the most intimate of spaces. However, the writing occasionally approaches its themes too simplistically, flattening the complexity inherent in its subject matter.
The production struggles to elevate the potential of the script. Performances feel disconnected from the emotional and political tensions embedded in the text. Lines are delivered without the conviction or vulnerability needed to make the relationships believable. A love triangle emerges late in the play without sufficient groundwork, and the central romance lacks chemistry, undermining the emotional stakes. Neetika Knight offers the most grounded performance, maintaining a clear emotional throughline and responding carefully to the shifting dynamics around her.
Direction is similarly uneven. Blocking is muddled, and the play’s rhythm suffers from an absence of tonal variation, particularly in the climax, which arrives with the same weight as what precedes it. There are also inconsistencies in the internal logic of the world as characters veer from inebriated to articulate within the same scene.
The ending arrives abruptly, leaving narrative and thematic threads unresolved. While Echoes of Empires aims to interrogate the personal reverberations of colonial histories, the production’s heavy-handedness and lack of clarity ultimately hinder its impact. There is promise in the text’s ambition and voice, but it requires more dramaturgical refinement and directorial cohesion to fully land.
Runs until 6th August 2025
Camden Fringe runs until 24 August 2025
