Vermin at Park Theatre Review
Written by Bronagh for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Content warnings: haze, strobe lighting, sudden loud noises, strong language, descriptions of violence and animal abuse. Also contains reference to suicide, stillbirth and discussion of mental illness.
I’ll start off by stating the obvious. Vermin is disturbing. In fact, scratch that. Vermin is VERY disturbing. I would go as far as to say that this is one of the most shocking productions I have seen, in terms of content and descriptions in the script. I was hooked, especially with the extremely black comedy that was seeping through this show from the get-go.
We meet Rachel (Sally Paffett) and Billy (Benny Ainsworth – also the writer of Vermin) as they’re on a train stuck at a red signal due to a suicide attempt. The suicide attempt is sadly a success, the backdrop of Rachel and Billy’s fast-moving love story. They date, get married, buy a house and start preparing for their baby. However, they’re not on their own in their three bedroom south London flat. The house is also home to rats, scratching and tunnelling through the house, signalling the collapse in their world and some very gruesome developments.
Without spoiling the production, this is not for the fainthearted. The description of animal abuse are very descriptive and disturbing, and left me wondering if I’d heard correctly at some points. Ainsworth in particular delivers with a believable glint in his eye as he describes tormenting animals. We are told that Billy has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, not that he wants this to label him or excuse him from these gruesome activities.
Paffett and Ainsworth do put on an extremely enjoyable performance; initially, it feels like a comedy double act, until things take a darker twist. Given this is a very short production at only one hour long, they both keep up the energy and don’t waste a moment with a fast-paced and tightly written script from Ainsworth. The relationship is believable; how many stories have we heard of love at first sight in the strangest of places? The opening feels like it could be an encounter being recounted by someone we know, nothing out of the ordinary there.
The trigger warnings must be taken into consideration when viewing Vermin. Rachel recounts the moment she finds out her baby has passed away, and she must give birth to her. This is a very emotive scene, with an admirable performance from Paffett. The clear mental anguish throughout is clear for the audience to see, a true testament to both the writing and performances.
Vermin is written with the intention to shock and to be in your face with it. We are supposed to shuffle uncomfortably; we are supposed to think, ‘Did I hear that right?’. We are also supposed to take those few moments to reflect on the trauma we’re witnessing and the events that lead to the conclusion we see. Disturbing obsessions and trauma are at the forefront, showing the floorboards and foundations of Rachel and Billy’s lives rotting away into nothingness, resulting in a remarkable production which will undoubtedly shock all viewers.
At the Park Theatre until 20th September.
★★★★
