Writer: James Fritz
Directors: Laura Ford and Angharad Jones
Lava starts promisingly. An asteroid has hit North London and 12,000 people have been killed. An appeal raises £22 million. The tragedy has wider percussions and aftershocks are felt in a northern town where Vin has developed mutism in response to the asteroid and his father’s death. However, despite this intriguing set-up, James Fritz’s play is at least 30 minutes too long.
Vin’s inability to speak means that he must leave his job working in telesales. His work colleague Rach still keeps in touch, and they manage to overcome the difficulties in communication: she talks, he texts. Their friendship thrives, and there are signs that it could blossom into a romance.
Two’s company but three’s a crowd when Rach’s friend Jamie arrives from London after losing his mother to the asteroid. It would seem that in each losing a parent Vin and Jamie would have a lot in common, but it turns out that Vin hasn’t being telling the truth and these lies threaten all his relationships.
As Vin, Dan Parr has a difficult task in conveying his emotions, having to exaggerate his facial expressions to communicate to his friends and, in some humorous scenes, for the sake of the audience. Parr is more successful at relaying Vin’s frustration, banging his chest to get the words out. Vin says that the words get stuck in his throat like a broken down lift.
Another tricky role is that of Jamie, the upper-middle class boy who calls everyone ‘mate’. Sometimes Oli Higginson has to play Jamie for laughs, and his privileged manner and the way that he looks out into the distance border on stereotype. But at other times we are to take him seriously. His eyes glisten with tears when he talks about his dying mother.
Having a better time of it are Bethany Antonia who plays Rach and EastEnders alumnus Kacey Ainsworth who plays Vin’s mother. Antonia’s Rach is sweet and good-natured and her easy demeanour allows Vin to relax around her. He doesn’t feel the need to engage too much when they’re together as she does most of talking. Vin’s mother is easily a character that could be excised from the narrative, but Ainsworth gives a dependably solid performance and there are some touching scenes between her and Parr.
Structured around the five stages of grief, Fritz’s script could do with some editing, as it takes too long to get around to acceptance and the story feels underpowered in places. Oddly the two scenes that don’t quite fit with the rest of the play’s aesthetic are the ones that are most effective. Both use music. One is when Rach lip-synchs to Beyoncé’s Running and the other is when Jamie sings a ballad on his guitar.These interludes brighten up the play and there could be more of them.
Amy Jane Cook’s set design, focussing on a scorched circle of earth, is striking, and Alexandra Stafford’s lights bring drama to the story, especially the red tones that appear towards the end of the 90 minutes. But there’s not enough story for this running time. Lava would flow better as an hour-long play.
Runs until 30 April 2022 and then tours
The Reviews Hub Score
Slow Flow
