THEATRE REVIEW: Against ★★★

Against

The Almeida Theatre, London

Saturday 12th August 2017

Sitting in on the first preview of the world premiere of Christopher Shinn’s Against at The Almeida Theatre, it hits me that this is actually my first encounter with this beautiful theatre - as I enter the auditorium, a police tent with tape across the front of the stage catches my eye - as this is the first preview, there has been little to digest beforehand about what the production has in store, so this initially has me completely hooked and curious straight away.

The production centres around aerospace billionaire Like, portrayed by Ben Whishaw, who is absolutely captivating in the role; he has this skill where without saying anything, the expression on his face could give off endless emotions and it's thrilling to watch this performance as the first in front of a paying audience and watch him interact in us and challenge the script structure throughout, constantly keeping myself in suspense about the next movement of the production. Amanda Hale portrays Sheila & Kate, two love interests within Luke's life, one from his past and present, but it is Sheila that Hale takes control of consistently throughout the production as Whishaw’s work partner. The chemistry between the two actors on stage honestly starts off a bit rocky; the script mentions that They helps each other write a book a couple of years prior to the action taking place on stage, but I didn't really feel that friendship lift from the script. I must say though that as the script develops as well as their friendship, things start heating up between the two and they actually both make a beautiful pairing of actors to watch on stage!

Along their journey to solve the act of violence in our society, which leads him to multiple occasions of this act; whether it's from the parents of a son who commits a school shooting, a prison to which he meets a father of a boy who was abused, a university with sexual abuse, or Equator, a food-packing business, with a troubled case of Boss to Colleague boundaries, the whole production completely storms through without stopping for a breath, and it's incredible! Along their Journey, Luke and Sheila encounter so many characters with troubled pasts, and the whole ensemble really make for at times some uneasy viewing - especially in penultimate scenes involving a truck driver at Equator! The beautifully constructed electronic signs to convey setting as well as lighting brings the script to life and completely immerses the audience on the travels that Luke and Sheila undertake, with a shocking conclusion which holds a powerful speech about the act of violence in humanity!

Overall, Against is a sophisticated and adult piece which is completely enthralling - running till 30th September 2017, this is a production not to be missed, and I really hope transfers to the West End in the future!