Canal Street Online Manchester

Review:Vincent River at Hope Mill Theatre

Review:Vincent River at Hope Mill Theatre

Vincent River, by Philip Ridley, is on for a week at Hope Mill Theatre until October 19th. There are two characters, Anita (Maddy Miles), who has recently had to move flats following the particularly violent murder of her son Vincent, and Davey (Rory Mcmenamin), Vincent’s secret lover. The play explores the social mores of the day (it premiered in 2000) and hasn’t aged at all. It’s as fresh and relevant now as it was then, and both Maddy and Rory deliver outstanding performances.

Pregnancy out of marriage (and by a married man) and Anita’s subsequent shunning, and homophobia of both the gossiping and violent kind are presented in a startlingly direct way, with the action holding you throughout the single 80 minute act, which flew by. I doubt the actors would have had the strength for a second one having poured their all into it. Both characters have a lot of questions but Davey is the one with most answers – and some of them are terrible to hear. There are a few jokes here and there but laughter is hard to summon given what’s being revealed.

The suffering that both Anita and Davey are experiencing is palpable. Davey has had to hide his sexuality from everyone until now, and Anita never knew her son was gay until after he died and she went through his belongings. We’d all like to think that 22 years on things might have changed for the better – as they perhaps have – but Vincent River still holds a big mirror to life and is as relevant now as it was all those years ago.

Go.

Paul Schofield for Canal St Media

Visit here for more information and to buy tickets.

Published: 13-Oct-2022 (6825)

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