★★★★
On the border of the river between Washington state and Idaho sits a small town called Clarkston. Once camped in by the great American explorers Lewis and Clark, this town now resides as a standard, forgettable stop in the American Northwest. And it’s this town where Samuel D. Hunter, writer of the Oscar-Winning The Whale, sets his 2015 play Clarkston, now playing in London for the first time, directed by Drama-Desk award winner Jack Serio.
This town is where our protagonist Jake, played by Joe Locke of Heartstopper fame, finds himself, having packed a bag, left home, and headed West. More specifically, he finds himself in a Costco in this town, working the night shift alongside local Chris (Ruaridh Mollica). On their first night working together, as Jake tells Chris about his Huntington’s Disease, and Chris comes out as gay to Jake, these intimate secrets force the pair into an immediate bond. While an attempt to hook up falls by the weyside, this intimacy created between the two young men is locked in for the rest of the narrative.
As both Jake and Chris learn what it is to be who you are and work out what you want for your life, they find themselves repeatedly stuck. For Jake, it’s his disease that grounds him, literally holding him back from his journey to the Pacific ocean. For Chris, it’s his meth-addicted mother Trish (Sophie Melville).
Restricted to a simple set of Costco shelves and occasional other in-store props, Clarkston relies on the strength of its characters, and their actors, to keep the audience engaged. It is a relief then, that the central trio are so good at what they do. Locke capitalises on the charm and awkwardness that made him such a beloved staple on Heartstopper, but with a maturity that shows itself through an assured stage presence and strong sense of self. As Chris, Mollica is incredible at holding the balance between the tough exterior he has posited himself under his whole life, and the vulnerability that pours out as he allows Jake to see him for who he is.
As a duo, the pair have a tangible chemistry that is utterly compelling. As they exist in this liminal intimate space somewhere between platonic and romantic, their connection allows us to explore what intimacy can look like outside of the context of a straightforward couple.
The trio is rounded off by Melville, who plays concerned mum Trish with the right level of desperation to show her estrangement from her son, but also her deep love.
However, while the reduced production design allows for a greater emphasis on this cast’s strengths, it also puts a spotlight on the weaknesses in Hunter’s script. Much like The Whale before it, Hunter’s play lacks all subtlety, with every key takeaway being thrown at us through exposition and dialogue. All backstory, all fears of these characters, are presented to us plainly, rather than allowing the audience to sit in ambiguity and questioning. Without such compelling performances, Clarkston would be much more obviously trite.
However, what the simple direction does provide is a keen sense of intimacy, enhanced by the small cast. The audience is brought into the scene (literally for those sitting on stage-side seats) and into these characters’ lives in a tender way. This intimacy, and Mollica and Locke’s impeccable performances, makes the flaws easy to look past, and well worth a trip to the Trafalgar Theatre.
Clarkston plays at the Trafalgar Theatre until 22 November.
Words by Rehana Nurmahi
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