Grey Area – VAULT Festival, London

Writer: Jonny Peyton-Hill

Director: Chiara Virgilio

In this fragmentary, sensitive story of a relationship between two men – outgoing, confident Jackson (played by the writer of the piece, Jonny Peyton-Hill) and insular Peter (Lewis Kennedy) – we are given snapshots of their time together, often with years passing between each scene. With each new incarnation of Jackson and Peter that materialises we are able to piece together an outline of what has happened in between. It paints a vivid and poignant portrait of a shifting relationship so impressionistically it’s enough to make a reviewer want to say “time is the third character”.

The set pieces are centred on the sometimes mundane, sometimes explosive, but all-too-painfully familiar conversations that mark the stages of a romantic relationship. From nervous flirting to the irritable bickering of established partners, and on into the uncertain waters of what comes after, the dialogue is spot on and believable. It’s also full of the sass and candour of two people who can – when they’re at their best – fully express themselves and their sexualities in each other’s company.

The set design is simple but effective. Racks of bits and bobs – Polaroid pictures, bananas, socks, a disco ball, the detritus of a shared life – are shifted around to form the limits of the scenery. In one of the most cheekily theatrical moments, Jackson produces a pointer from a rack and uses it as a prop whilst saying his piece on the difficulties of dating as a gay man. It’s a hilarious touch and hints that Peyton-Hill could credibly have filtered all this into a stand-up show in another timeline (though we’re glad he chose the medium of theatre). It also underlines the more serious theme of the play: how the life of a queer person necessarily involves engaging with a discourse on identity, one that heterosexual people often don’t need to worry about.

The scenes where Jackson and Peter are trying to keep something alive after they have both moved on to other people are hard-hitting. We see them moving in different directions and we want these two loveable characters to find a way to make each other happy. We see how the roles they play in each other’s lives can fluctuate between needy, toxic, caring, loving; and both actors skilfully portray personalities that grow and change. There rings throughout a note of autobiographical truth, giving it the feel of a story that is real and honest and lived.

Runs until 19 February 2023