Eucharist – Etcetera Theatre, London

Writers: Tobias Abbott and Saskia Mollard

Director: Josh Maughan

Acclaimed theatre company Springbok is bringing the action to Etcetera Theatre this week with an unnervingly good dystopian piece to get your blood pumping.

Eucharist shares its name with a fictional medical programme where participants can trade organs with another, for a large sum of money. Young, broke and somewhat of a lone wolf, Clara doesn’t see the risk in taking part. Along the way she even meets Ben, a kind stranger who wants more than anything to keep her safe, so what could go wrong?

The play promises sinister intentions and delivers wholeheartedly. A chilling revelation instantly changes the game and fuels a truly thrilling climax which only the sharpest minds might predict. The devastating tonal shift and intelligent twist on a technological advancement are expertly done and could easily have come from the bleak masterminds behind Netflix’s Black Mirror.

This exhilarating tale, however, comes from writer-performers Tobias Abbott and Saskia Mollard who deserve great praise for not only conceiving but also executing this twisted triumph. Mollard is electrifying from the jump as Clara, giving a lot of life to the recovering young woman. Her strength and intensity are consistently engaging while offering glimmers of vulnerability with skill and nuance. Abbott, on the other hand, is relentlessly caring as Ben and he perfectly plays the role of a soft, lovable partner. Together the pair are genuinely endearing and seem to bring out the best in each other… right?

Josh Maughan has done a great job of keeping this story alive with minimal staging. It is a well-paced piece which never feels stifled by the intimate space, however, the necessary props which are incorporated stick out slightly and, once discarded, begin to clutter an otherwise empty stage.

Eucharist is a massive idea bursting at the seams of its current fringe venue. If this dark gem gets the time, attention and funding it deserves, this could be one of theatre’s best thrillers.

Runs until 17 June 2024