DOWN THE ROAD
Playhouse East
★★★★★
“The intensity of the play is remarkably maintained throughout the entire 90 minutes”
The UK’s first revival of ‘Down the Road’ since 2003 was certainly worth the wait. Today, the play sits against the backdrop of an infinitude of true crime documentaries, podcasts and media. The vastness of the landscape has almost desensitised us. However, this epic production brings the horrific brutality and mercilessness of murder to life in front of us in a way very few performances could.
Down the Road is a three-hander consisting of Dan and Iris Henniman (played by Aaron Vodovoz and Annelise Bianchini), an aspirational couple of journalists who have been hired to interview Bill Reach (played by Joshua Collins), a young, sadistic serial killer, who has recently lost the appeal against his sentence. He is ready to tell his story. They think they are ready to listen to it. And so do we. Bill knows this when he says to his interviewers in their first meeting: “I hope you’re not nervous.” But it is impossible not to be. Joshua Collins is as captivating as he is terrifying in an eerily convincing performance. It is like we are watching the Ted Bundy tapes.
Initially, it seems that the play is about Reach, as he revels in his new-found infamy and indulges himself in recounting his killings (which he refuses to call ‘murders’). However, the real narrative is the effect that these meetings have on the young married couple. To begin with, he needs them. Eventually, they need him. The irony of Reach in handcuffs is palpable, when really he is control and they are the ones restrained. The performances of Aaron Vodovoz and Annelise Bianchini are exceptionally strong. The exhaustion and frailty of Dan is stark. The helplessness of Iris’ desperation is moving.
The intensity of the play is remarkably maintained throughout the entire 90 minutes. The masterful writing (Lee Blessing) and the pinpoint direction (Tracey Mathewson) mean that in every scene we are left wanting more. The seamless transitions from the prison to the motel room assist with the fast pace of the plot. Subtle changes are made to the scenes as the show progresses to further raise the tension, such as the motel room become more disorderly and the central light in the prison getting brighter and sharper. Credit should go to Katren Wood (set design) and James Oldham (sound design) for these clever touches.
A fault in many shows similar to this, is that a well-crafted story arc is undermined by a rushed or unfitting ending given the context of what has preceded it. Down the Road is different. It threatens a cliffhanger before the final revelation. The story ends exactly as it should. And yet we want a sequel.
DOWN THE ROAD
Playhouse East
Reviewed on 14th March 2025
by Luke Goscomb
Also reviewed by Luke:
DELUGE | ★★★★ | SOHO THEATRE | February 2025
