Fire Fireby John Webber, The Arcola Studio, 24 Ashwin Street, London E8 | until 1 October 2026 and then on tour ⭐⭐ Review by William Russell

Photo credit – Mark Senior

Fire Fire

by John Webber

The Arcola Studio, 24 Ashwin Street, London E8 | until 1 October 2026 and then on tour

⭐⭐ Review by William Russell

“Endless end of the world.”

The playwright is lucky in his cast and director who, with the help of a rather clever set by Peiyao Wang, do their best to make some sense out of his convoluted play getting its world premiere at the Arcola before going on tour. The set consists of a circle of steps which ascend and then descend inside which are several illuminated posts. It allows the actors all sorts of places to position themselves while delivering their lines and really is a model of its kind. Paige played by Gabrielle Brooks is a black climate activist who has fallen out with her girlfriend and needing to go to relieve herself while visiting a country park where she is protesting meets Eddie, played by Chris Simmons, who appears to be some sort of custodian. He won't let her go. The pair keep coming across one another thereafter and strike up a kind of relationship – he is actually worked once in the oil industry she blames for the world's troubles – and then, after he has scattered some of his late brother's ashes, spirals off into a world where Boadicea was queen, a mystic Albion is conjured drums get played, torches get lit, Eddie's gold cigarette lighter assumes significance and lots of words get spoken which are hard to fathom. The actors do all required of them rather well but what on earth the play is about never becomes clear and one leaves feeling sorry for them having to carry on for the fairly extensive tour which follows its month's run here. This 85  minute long end of the world saga seemed endless.

Cast

Gabrielle Brooks – Paige

Chris Simmons – Eddie

Creatives

Director – Jannifer Tang

Set & Costume Designer – Peiyao Wang

Lighting Designer – Charly Dunford

Sound Designer – Sarah Spencer

Movement Director – Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster

The production after the Arcola embarks of a series of one night stands in Winchester, Peterborough, Harlow, Norwich, Ipswich, Brighton, Sudbury, Cambridge, Greys, Lowestoft, Aldeburgh, Wells-next-the-Sea and Sheringham.