Sweetmeat
Entering the theatre above the Old Red Lion in Islington, North London you are faced with an intimate and yet sizable room. The floor level stage dominates the pew-lined, room which has something of a courtroom feel. In hindsight this is interesting given what we are about to witness.
The set is nothing to write home about. A battered sofa, a collection of books on a small coffee table (the titles of which give us a clue to how the story might unfold) a chair, all surrounded by clinically white, and yet at the same time rough walls. Let’s hope the play has more to offer.
As the lighting state begins to change content warnings are given. This play contains scenes of self-harm, suicide and abusive relationships. There is an uncomfortable snigger in the audience as we buckle up for what could be a dramatic ride. By the end we might well want to add other content warnings which will include substance abuse, manipulation, vivid descriptions of pain and pleasure.
The story begins with Sigmund making himself at home in the flat he is viewing. So at home, he snorts a line of cocaine laid out on the coffee table. Sigmund comes across as cock-sure, in charge of his destiny, and maybe of those he meets. He’s interrupted midway through his chemical pleasures by Christian, an Irish guy. He seems a little nervous in Sigmund’s presence and yet unperturbed by this handsome man in his lounge. He may be nervous but he’s also a bit flirty, there is obviously some sexual chemistry – and as the opening scene develops it feels like we can see a spider capturing a fly in its web. But which one is the captive and which one the captured?
Scene by scene the young men ensnare each other in. Sigmund obviously has a dark past, but then we see Christian is no ray of light either. Their conversations become darker fueled by reference to even darker films and novels, by what they have seen on the internet and by what they reveal to each other about their experiences and desires. As the story unfolds, the tension builds and we can see this is not heading in a healthy direction, and yet we are also drawn into the web.
The writer, Ivo de Jager, along with the director, Conor Geoghegan unlock a dark story and create a simultaneously disturbing and compelling piece of theatre. There is an intoxicating chemistry between Matthew Dunlop (Sigmund) and Jamie McClean (Christian), which makes the drama all-too believable.
In the press release it suggests this work is for 16+. We’re not really sure whether we were ready for it in our 5th decade! This is probably one of the darkest pieces of theatre we’ve seen. It’s hard to encourage people to see it. And yet for its writing and performance alone it deserves its 4 stars.
Sweetmeat was reviewed on 7th November 2024 and runs until the 23rd November at the Old Red Lion Theatre. Tickets available here: https://www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk/sweetmeat.html
Review written by Paul Wood & Ian Worsfold
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Photo credit: Ivo De Jager
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