Michael Ahomka-Lindsay, Eleanor Tomlinson and Jack Gibson all impress in Matthew López’s intimate Reverberation at Bristol Old Vic
“I think I may have underestimated you
‘I think I may have let you'”
After the blistering intensity of The Inheritance, it is no surprise that Matthew López’s play Reverberation is no less potent in its depiction of contemporary life. Originally staged in Connecticut in 2015, this new production has been reworked by López and relocated to the UK where it is now receiving its European premiere in the atmospheric surroundings of Bristol Old Vic.
Jonathan is struggling. Near-agoraphobic, he barely leaves his flat but being a fit 30-year old gay man, he still has Grindr hook-ups pop round, such as the twinkish Wes who really doesn’t want to go after he’s come. The arrival of a new neighbour in the flat upstairs offers…something of a change, the flighty American Claire a jolt to the system and in acknowledging a potentially kindred soul, a complicated and close relationship develops between the pair. Damage recognises damage.
Jack Sain’s tightly focused production really hones in on the depth of character from López here. With the potential for loneliness even in the midst of a bustling city as the top line, there’s a brusque realism to the truth of Jonathan and Claire’s lives, secrets of their past and present drip-fed to us through drunken conversations and platonic sleepovers on the way to deeply dramatic twists.
To say much more risks unfair spoilering but suffice to say Sain encourages a trio of excellent performances. Michael Ahomka-Lindsay devastating as the grief-stricken, panic attack-ridden Jonathan, fierce but fragile in his journey to see if these are wounds that can heal. Eleanor Tomlinson contrasts beautifully as Claire, equally but differently alone with her own baggage. And Jack Gibson makes an assured debut as Wes, whose appearances in Jonathan’s life prove to be anything but insignificant.
Ti Green’s gorgeously designed set gives us the two key floors of this apartment building but leaves the walls to stairwells and corridors shrouded in gauze, revealing so much to us in the shadows and spills of Robbie Butler’s lighting. The intensity of this atmosphere is supplemented by Nicola T Chang’s textured sound work and Daniel Denton’s video design, complex layers building on top of each other, all pointing to just how fucking complicated life can be sometimes. Recommended.
