AN INSTINCT

Old Red Lion Theatre

★★★½

“a brave piece of theatre”

An Instinct is an inside look into coercive control, manipulation and makes you question everything. Littered with moments of shock, suspense and humour this play really takes you on a journey to an alternate experience of our once lived lockdown days.

Written by Hugo Timbrell, we are transported back to the beginning of COVID, to a cabin in the middle of the woods where we find ex lovers Max (Conor Dumbrell) and Charlie (Ben Norris) who have reunited to face isolation together.

Dumbrell and Norris are great at setting the tone and mood immediately. We see two people figuring out a situation together, but as we are drip fed information, we start to question everything presented to us. As we watch our main characters battle with trust, loyalty and the lack of both, we as an audience also ask the same questions and battle with the reality being played out. By the time our third player, Tom (Joe Walsham) enters the scene – there is a strong desire for the truth amongst the characters and audience alike.

Timbrell has created a brave piece of theatre here. There is a real understanding for how manipulation, gaslighting and passive aggressiveness play out without being biased. You are shown all sides of a story and are left to make your own judgements. He makes large, bold choices in the dynamics of the plot, with light comedy appearing throughout. The writing is very clever, clear and consistent – keeping you hooked in the twists and turns.

An Instinct is a thriller which can sometimes be a tricky genre, especially with the pressure of being able to lure your audience into anticipation ready to be thrilled. There are a couple of jump scare moments that can catch any audience member unaware, and we are pulled into a very unstable environment that is rife with mistrust. However there are also moments where the play runs the risk of being awkward.

The actors do well to sustain character and drive the plot through its highs and lows, but it’s a hard job to keep the suspense of a thriller, especially in theatre without the glitz and glamour of TV and film tricks. This pressure was almost too much for our actors at times. This didn’t take too much away from the play, and didn’t leave a bad taste, in fact it was a fun experience and audiences can take something away from it.

Director Lucy Foster delivered superbly. The transitions, the use of space and blocking of the actors are flawless and really lets us into their world by reinforcing that fourth wall and giving us a real “fly on a wall” experience. The sound (Julian Starr) and lighting (Caelan Oram) really supports the realism of the whole production and all the tricks and effects are used perfectly. Well worth seeing.

AN INSTINCT

Old Red Lion Theatre

Reviewed on 19th November 2025

by Paige Wilson-Lawrence

Photography by Craig Fuller

Previously reviewed at this venue:

CURATING | ★★ | November 2025

DEATH BELLES | ★★★½ | October 2025

FRAT | ★★ | May 2025

EDGING | ★★★ | September 2023

THIS IS NORMAL | ★★★★ | September 2023

AN INSTINCT

★★★★

“witty, fast paced, and an absurdly funny one man show”

If you can imagine a cross between Johnny Bravo (Cartoon Network) and Michael Scott (The Office US), drop this character in the middle of Ireland, you have Felixxx.

Mark Ryder takes us on a wild journey unpacking male insecurity, ego and fragility. Ryder uses physicality, great comedic timing and relatable references to engage his audience whilst handling serious and uncomfortable topics. He is a great actor and does a brilliant job of sustaining character and portraying emotional journeys and conflict.

At times you will laugh at the sheer audacity and the shock factor of Felixxx’s words with his infantile mindset, but there are also moments where you sympathise with him and even feel disappointed in him. On occasion, I questioned how Felixxx has made it this far in life, how he qualified to become a “Finance Bro” and how old he is supposed to be. But this in itself raises bigger questions about society and how we view men within the Finance world.

The set is minimal. A table, chair, and a few props, all of which are far too small compared to our tall leading man, which could either be an indicator of how large Felixxx perceives himself to be, or a hilarious nod to Felixxx’s downstairs member, Felixxx Jr., who is the topic of this dark comedy. Either way, it was enough and Ryder fills the space creating a larger than life character, whilst also building multiple worlds along the way. The music (Arthur Robijns), sound and lighting (Amber Spooner) are used to shift mood and represent time flawlessly.

Although this a one man show Ryder does a good job of multi rolling characters, though there were times his physicality was distracting and made it difficult to differentiate between characters. Saying that, this was Ryder’s first time playing the entirety of Felixxx to a public audience so there is potential for this to be worked out.

The piece was directed by Rute Costa (Co-founder of Popsie Theatre) who does a superb job at handling such a wild piece. All in all, Felixxx is a great night out – witty, fast paced, and an absurdly funny one man show.

Tag Archives: Paige Wilson-Lawrence

AN INSTINCT

★★★½

Old Red Lion Theatre

AN INSTINCT

Old Red Lion Theatre

★★★½

“a brave piece of theatre”