Reverberation, Bristol Old Vic Review

Reviewed by Bryony for Theatre and Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review

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Written by Matthew Lopez and directed by Jack Sain, Reverberation is a story of three people who find one another when they each need connection the most. We first meet Jonathan (Michael Ahomka-Lindsay) and Wes (Jack Gibson) in the midst of a casual hook up. Jonathan appears to want nothing more from this situation and tries all manner of ways to encourage Wes to leave, even offering him a copy of his favourite book, but Wes is looking for any way he might be able to stay.

As the play continues it’s clear Jonathan is troubled by something, with us often observing scenes of him struggling with his emotions and where to put his attention for unknown reasons. Then we meet Claire (Eleanor Tomlinson) and first of all she appears as a loud, bubbly American, full of confidence and quick wit to boot. But as her friendship with Jonathan develops, we learn that she’s toying with her own demons and seems to always be running from something. 

The set is a clever upstairs, downstairs flat set up, which allows the audience to see the story of the two characters unfold simultaneously at times and includes some clever features, like the lights that turn on automatically in the ‘hallway’. There’s also an interesting use of music to move time on between scenes and I appreciated how the music choices complemented each character too. 

What I enjoyed most about this play was that I couldn’t tell where it was going, or what the outcome may be for our three characters. As the second half begins, we’ve seen Jonathan and Claire grow closer and are wondering where their relationship is heading, with Wes feeling like a distant memory. But as time moves on, the reintroduction of Wes provides what appears to be a light-hearted reprieve at first. However he soon loses that cloak of humour, and we learn more of his story and his pain with such emotion that we realise the youngest character has actually demonstrated potentially the most honesty about his truest feelings, more than anyone else so far.

This is a heartbreaking yet hilarious show, with many, many unexpectedly funny moments, dealing with some difficult adult themes. As the story unfolds, it provides glimpses of hopefulness against a backdrop of dark thoughts and trauma and reminds us how human connection can take shape in so many ways – if only we allow it.

At Bristol Old Vic until 2 Nov

★ ★ ★ ★