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Two men shelter from catastrophe in this Beckettian tale of memory, companionship and survival, which is intelligently performed but light on tension
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Stage — Arifa Akbar
Jermyn Street’s basement theatre provides the perfect space for Simon Stephens’ postapocalyptic play about two men hiding in a bunker after an unnamed global catastrophe. Several of Beckett’s plays have been performed on this stage in recent years and these characters are distinctly Beckettian. Ashton (Ross Gaynor) and Reece (Ian Toner) may be the last men on Earth; they spend their time rehearsing the same stories, sometimes singing and, ultimately, waiting. But for what?
The difference between Beckett’s men and Stephens’ is the emphasis of hope over despair, although the two converge at times. Ashton and Reece play memory games, it seems, enacting scenes from their former lives. These are filled with optimism and promise: a declaration of love, a moment between father and son, the announcement of a pregnancy. One man is a porter, the other a professor. In ordinary life, they might have little in common but here they become receptacles for each other’s most precious memories.
There is no sight of the post-diluvial landscape. Instead, there is a mattress, a camping stove and a record player, the high winds and ominous churn of machinery suggesting the threats above ground (great sound design by Thomas Dixon). Occasional reports come from the outside: they worry about the theft of a nearby track. Does it mean they are literally coming to the end of the road?
The production, which premiered at Glass Mask theatre in Dublin earlier this year and is again directed by Rex Ryan, is in no rush to reveal its world and the games played within it, making you work to imagine your own apocalypse outside.
There are some arresting moments and both actors give strong performances. Sometimes, their role-play turns desolate; at others, they tenderly savour a past memory with gentle humour (that occasionally lacks bite). A third man, Presley (Fionn Ó Loingsigh), and a surprise character, Mary (Holly Demaine), enter this space, the latter bringing a powerful monologue full of shock and horror at what has happened outside, spoken almost in a single breath.
Ultimately, these interlopers bring real (as opposed to re-enacted) hope alongside a sense of threat as Presley arrives with a gun. But their intrigues do not contain enough of a story arc or offer sufficient dramatic tension. Too many meaningful silences slow the pace and get in the way of building momentum. Sometimes, messages are spelled out (“humans never heed warnings”, says one character, reflecting on natural disasters, climate catastrophe and human-made destruction). But there are reflective and lyrical moments too and a strongly resonant overarching idea, with intelligence in both the performances and the script.
At Jermyn Street theatre, London , until 26 September
The difference between Beckett’s men and Stephens’ is the emphasis of hope over despair, although the two converge at times. Ashton and Reece play memory games, it seems, enacting scenes from their former lives. These are filled with optimism and promise: a declaration of love, a moment between father and son, the announcement of a pregnancy. One man is a porter, the other a professor. In ordinary life, they might have little in common but here they become receptacles for each other’s most precious memories.
This report is published with credit to theguardian.com. Full available text from the wire is above. Read on theguardian.com →
Source: theguardian.com · Arifa Akbar. Published 27 Aug 2026, 10:00 am.
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