Theatre / Reviews
Review, Junkies, Alma Tavern & Theatre – ‘An impactful and brilliantly acted exploration of an unfolding relationship’
“What is a good life?”
Nick Bamford’s Junkies serves us a satirical queer drama about relationships across generations, navigating the addictions brought about both by opioids and financial greed whilst struggling with the isolation of modernity.
A dating website matches two men: Adam, a young adult struggling with opioid addiction following an intense recuperation due to a leg injury, and Mike, a rich financier isolated after losing his family unit since coming out as gay.
is needed now More than ever
We watch their relationship tentatively growing, as they learn more about each other’s stories, faults, desires and inevitably, their addictions too. Undoubtedly, this heartfelt play gets to the core of what it means to find one’s identity, not least when it is wrapped up in social circles which cannot understand the beauty and complexity of what it is to be a human.
These two characters brilliantly depict the vulnerability of exposing your life story within a new relationship. Their awkward kindness is interplayed with sarcasm and comfortable humour, and the talent of both actors bestows their characters with very believable quirks, allowing the audience a glimpse into very separate spheres.
Particular praise is to Nigel Fairs who handles the role of Mike with an admirable subtlety, letting the audience sympathise with his lonely situation as he is blinded by the mission for more: be it money, or corporate praise. As an audience, it’s heartwarming to watch his journey from claustrophobic introversion to an open physicality, displaying continued smiles as the piece progresses. It is truly an ode to the potential new outlook afforded by a new relationship.
Langley Howard also offers a fabulous performance as Adam: taking this precarious, jittery ‘junky’ stereotype and handling the character’s situation with such grace, showing an admirable and endearing self-awareness.
Ultimately, what makes this piece work so well is the genuine chemistry between Mike and Adam, and the nuanced writing and performances of their unfolding connection. While the lack of initial context does make scene transitions a little confusing and sitcom-esque at times, this is swiftly resolved through the play as this central relationship becomes clearer.
Themes of drug abuse, boredom, sexuality, family estrangement and the value of money serve as the basis of the play’s conversations, with both Mike and Adam offering their individual takes. Despite their markedly contrasting lifestyles, their relationship makes for an easy atmosphere, characterised by quickfire chat talk as immediate and engaging as a tennis game.
In an artistic climate all too often obsessed with cliffhangers, I was grateful for the refreshingly circular element to the narrative. It is hard to believe this impactful and unforgettable show relies only on a black box theatre, some foldaway chairs, coffee mugs and a laptop to tell the story. At its core, it is a play absolutely stripped back to an exploration queer relationships are in the modern world. At its conclusion, I felt both uplifted and fulfilled, and I suspect I wasn’t the only audience member leaving the theatre with goosebumps, too.
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Find out more about the show at www.whatnowproductions.co.uk or follow @whatnowproductions.
All photos: What Now Productions
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