Review: Bacon, The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic – ‘A powerful play, with two stellar performances’

What would you do if you found yourself making a bacon sandwich for someone who changed the trajectory of your life? This is the question Mark asks when Darren walks into the cafe he works at, four years since they last saw each other in Year 10. As they talk for the first time in nearly half a decade, we flash back to the origins of their friendship.

Bacon is the latest play from Sophie Swithinbank, first performed at the Finborough Theatre last year. Since then it has been touring the country, recently hitting the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and was the winner of the Tony Craze Award, as well as three Off-West End Awards.

School can be both all-consuming and isolating at the same time, and this play looks at a budding relationship between the nervous, new-to-the-school Mark, and Darren, who is unpredictable and scares away all those close to him. One minute he’s hilarious, the next minute utterly devastating – which I think we can all agree perfectly describes being a teenager.

A two-man show hinges on the performances of the actors, and both Corey Montague-Sholay (Mark) and William Robinson (Darren) put on a stellar performance here. Robinson is able to perfectly ride that line of teenage bravado while letting emotions crawl into the cracks, while Montague-Sholay blends his childlike innocence as the younger character with an older, more fractured Mark.

The play tackles some heavy themes, including masculinity, violence, and sexual assault. The power dynamic between Mark and Darren fluctuates, with Darren being the obviously dominant, but Mark is shown at times to have a sway over him.

Stage design can make or break a small show like this, but in Bacon, set designer Natalie Johnson’s choices are elegant in its simplicity. The Weston Studio at Bristol Old Vic is a thrust stage, with the audience on all three sides as well as looking down from the balcony. The stage space is set up with a large, concrete-like seesaw facing diagonally across the stage.

Throughout the play, the seesaw tips in either direction, instantly showing the power dynamics between the two. Supports jut out by turns on either side, quickly turning the shaky board into a solid structure that can act as a bed, bike or desk.

The physical and sexual violence portrayed is tough to watch at times, but both are necessary and perfectly balanced. You can tell a lot of care and attention has gone into every movement, with director Matthew Iliffe, fight/intimacy director Jess Tucker Boyd and the two lead actors working to create a powerful performance that never crosses the line into excessive.

Bacon is in Bristol until the weekend, and it is well worth grabbing a ticket while you can.

Bacon is at The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic on November 21-25 at 8pm, with an additional 3pm matinee show on Saturday at 3pm. Tickets are available at www.bristololdvic.org.uk.

All photos: Ali Wright

Read more: A five night run for critically acclaimed play ‘Bacon’ at Bristol Old Vic’s Weston Studio

Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast: