Writer and Director: Fin Lanchester
Sometimes opposites attract, but in Complicité, they assault each other–in a fun way, mostly. The dark comedy takes a poke at the divisiveness surrounding modern discourse and the potential dangers of holding others to unrealistic ideals. While the main message of the play is respectable, the execution ends up sounding a bit too much like an in-person X (formerly Twitter) argument.
An original tale written by director Fin Lanchester and produced by his independent production company, scorcher theatre company, the story is set in modern-day and follows two polar opposites during a middle-of-the-night interaction in central London. Benoit, a French oil field worker, is aimlessly wandering the streets drinking wine when he runs into Simon, a primary school teacher, who is handcuffed to a tree in protest against climate threats. What follows is a repeated series of heated exchanges over all the most contentious topics possible, including climate change, religion, consumerism, colonialism, and English-French relations.
While the subject matter is serious, there are numerous breaks of comedic relief involving both well-placed dialogue and slapstick-style movements. Victor Ciri, who plays Benoit, is particularly good at delivering humour in a natural manner with incredible timing and charm, coinciding with a sigh from the audience as the tension releases.
Visually, the production is excellent. Lead production designer, Klára Rychtarčiková, transforms a blank (black) slate into what is obviously a riverside, urban environment with simpler yet thoughtful solutions, like a multi-layered backdrop that harnesses netting and scenery panels, as well as overflowing trash bins and dumped activist signage. The true star of the show is the incredible tree that sits centre stage. Designed by Lorenzo Rangoni, the prop is built from waste items, like piping and netting, leaning further into the topic of climate change and creating a visual representation of it in a highly aesthetic manner.
The biggest challenge for the show is the length. While it only runs approximately 65 minutes with no interval, there are numerous scenes that drag on longer than necessary, resulting in the audience losing interest. Unfortunately, the issue occurs immediately with the opening scene involving Simon tied to the tree and talking promiscuously on the phone to his on-again, off-again partner.
The language used is incredibly vulgar and uses many female-focused derogatory terms and phrases. While such a choice in the writing plays heavily into displaying the irony of an activist holding high ideals in the treatment of the planet but not in his conduct towards half of its population, it simply goes on too long. What could be accomplished in under 60 seconds lingers on for upwards of five minutes, with the actor often repeating the same lines or variations of them over and over again. As a result, the extended performance crosses the line from a narrative on performative activism into actual misogyny and loses the crowd with it, which is apparent by the silence radiating through the black box theatre.
There are multiple points throughout Complicité where the two actors are able to pull the audience back. While many of these instances are reliant on the comedic breaks, there is a particular monologue on personal responsibility given by Simon, played by Alex Westbrook, that is deserving of mid-production applause. The actor gives a top-notch performance, fully leaning into the character and commanding the stage. However, the illusion is quickly broken soon after – and at multiple points throughout the production – as a result of scenes that go on too long or dialogue that doesn’t quite present as believable.
There are also issues with stage direction towards the end when the actors lie and sit down on the floor. While there is limited surface area to choose from in such a small theatre, the spots selected are so close to the audience that it’s challenging to see their faces, which hinders the emotional performance that occurs in those scenes. Such minor oversights seem to plague the production and ruin its potential immersive quality, as the stage setup and lighting are primed to convince the audience the fictional setting is reality.
Runs until 31 October 2026
