Review: Reverberation, Bristol Old Vic – ‘Haunting and brilliantly acted’

When Matthew López’s earlier work, The Inheritance, appeared at the Old Vic in London, it was called ‘the most important American play of the century’. No pressure then.

Reverberation is the European premiere of a new production of the play, originally staged in Connecticut in 2015, but now updated to the present day and given a London setting.

First, a word about Ti Green’s set. The play unfolds within the confines of two stylish apartments, and they are beautifully constructed, one above the other, with semi-transparent walls to the stairwell and corridor. This enhances the experience, as increasingly action takes place in this nether space; the audience watches various comings and goings long before the characters, who also communicate by banging on the ceiling.

Michael Ahomka-Lindsay (Jonathan) in Reverberation, Bristol Old Vic

Although we first see the main protagonist Jonathan (Michael Ahomka-Lindsay) engaged in an explicitly sexual scene with someone he has hooked up with online, he has otherwise withdrawn from the world. One strength of Lopez’s writing is how we learn about the personal tragedy that has caused this change in behaviour. He is clearly drinking too much, and we are drip-fed elements until the full story comes out.

Another clever mechanism at play is Eleanor Tomlinson’s nuanced performance of the character of Claire. Tomlinson chooses to play her with an easy mid-range Californian accent and gives a stellar performance of a ditzy, boyfriend-eating party girl. She could easily become a clichéd character, an updated Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, undrawn and shallow, but instead she is afforded much greater depth and warmth.

Michael Ahomka-Lindsay (Jonathan) & Eleanor Tomlinson (Claire)

The reverberations around Jonathan and Claire both being survivors of violence and aggression from men are ultimately what draw them together.

Director Jack Sain does a marvellous job in choreographing movements around the apartments, and scene changes are executed with style and no small amount of wit. This is enhanced by the dramatic lighting and sound changes.

Matthew López and Jack Sain, writer and director of Reverberation, Bristol Old Vic – photo Geraint Lewis

Jonathan has panic attacks which shake him to the core, and clever video design is deployed to illustrate these, although there are perhaps risks of repetition in the number of recurrences of this medium.

Wes (Jack Gibson) appears as the initial hookup, a gay man looking for more of a long-lasting relationship of a type that Jonathan is keen to avoid. However, when he returns, Gibson almost steals the show as the writing shifts the narrative and gives Jonathan’s predicament a sharper focus.

Michael Ahomka-Lindsay (Jonathan), Jack Gibson (Wes)

There is a great deal of humour throughout, and although the play foregrounds LGBTQ+ characters, it is ultimately concerned with the human condition. When Jonathan says: “I think I may have underestimated you,” Wes replies: “I think I may have let you”.

The action sways with effortless fluidity from moments of levity to others when you could hear a pin drop, such is the poignancy of the struggles that Jonathan is confronting.

Michael Ahomka-Lindsay as Jonathan

One moment elicits a gasp of horror and shock from the audience while at others an embarrassed giggle echoes throughout the auditorium.

The result is a haunting and brilliantly acted play shot through with loneliness and grief, connecting deeply with its audience; a story whose characters are equally adrift in an urban environment, but wanting more.

Reverberation is at Bristol Old Vic on October 2-November 2 at 7.30pm, with additional 2.30pm matinee shows on Thursday and Saturday. Tickets are available at www.bristololdvic.org.uk.

All photos: Marc Brenner

Read next:

• Bristol Old Vic to host the European premiere of Matthew López’s ‘Reverberation’
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