Scavengers

Watch Out

Scavengers

by Bryan Oliver

Urban Wolves Theatre Company at The Etcetera Theatre until 20^th August

Review by Brent Muirhouse

Strolling into Scavengers, in the deceptive and darkened staging of the Etcetera Theatre, you could be forgiven for thinking you’d taken wrong turn and trespassed into somebody’s dwelling.  Sitting there at a table, fiddling between make-up and mobile, sits Zeb, who is acting in no particularly remarkable way, yet is about to take centre stage in Bryan Oliver’s new play at The Camden Fringe, which offers an exploration of human survival in a post-apocalyptic world with more than one moment being closer-to-reality than you’d hope. 

Set within the murkily lit confines of a tower block’s basement, the play delves into the lives of three individuals battling against insurmountable odds to endure the aftermath of a major ecological catastrophe.  The narrative revolves around Wikki (Neil Hobbs) and Zeb (Grace Richardson), hiding from the relentless hunters – scavengers – of The Squire, an opportunist who has apparently seized much control over this hellish landscape, which follows a combined crisis of climate and virus (which may sound familiar).  A chance intrusion by Finn (Matteo Piombino), another survivor desperately searching for sustenance (tinned fruits and beans have been stacked from Wikki’s trips into the dangerous world outside), sends shockwaves through their precarious existence, when truths are gradually revealed.  Amidst the backdrop of scarcity and danger, the characters are compelled to confront fears, desires, and the looming external threats that challenge their fragile limbo-like reality.

Oliver’s script is performed with an impeccable tempo.  The pacing of the story keeps the audience suitably unnerved throughout, capturing the urgency and tension of a world in a state of disarray.  The effective use of darkness – and occasional scenes lit by candlelight – further heightens the atmosphere, enveloping the characters in an eerie ambiance that mirrors the uncertainty of their world.  While the love angle between the characters feels slightly contrived at times, and not really needed to drive the story, the interactions between the three as individuals explores the complexities of human connection and morality in a world where survival is paramount, leaving the audience silently questioning how they’d act in such an apparently impossible circumstance.  Yet, the dystopian era depicted in the play resonates with authenticity, reflecting a future that, while seemingly distant, is unsettlingly plausible when thinking about inequalities in society and existential threats from climate and biology.

Running at around an hour, the play is well-anchored by a trio of skilled actors who bring levels of nuance to their roles.  Wikki is given a real grit by Neil Hobbs, creating a grounded and moral character, who remains believable to the audience.  Finn is extravagantly performed, yet the standout element is the range of Matteo Piombino’s turn from hushed timidity to brash humour with an almost Nicolas Cage-esque of eccentricity.  A special mention must be made on the depiction of survival through the consumption of scavenged tinned food – whilst a seemingly mundane act, the dedication of Piombino in particular eating fistfuls of cold spaghetti highlighted the starkness of humanity’s prospects in this shadowy existence.

Grace Richardson perhaps has the hardest role with Zeb as the true centre of the story, yet manages to ebb and flow credibly in her relationships with Finn and Wikki, without which Scavengers would’ve fallen flat.  Indeed, through the actors’ performances, the audience too witness Zeb’s evolution in the face of adversity.  The chemistry among the actors adds to the authenticity of their interactions, giving Scavengers a level of verve and confidence to keep the pulses of those watching raised, as they fear possible threats for the three on stage.

By its conclusion, Scavengers had completely drawn in the audience to its bleak, post-apocalyptic setting, the cast’s skilled performances keeping the tension whispering around the dulled, blackened staging as three human beings navigate unthinkable challenges; and all in the space of sixty minutes.  Except, of course this apparently dystopian uncertainty had moments unsettlingly close to reality, leaving the audience with a lasting, and far broader, contemplation of existence and survival.

My own contemplation continued as I left the theatre to the comparably bustling and lively roads of Camden Town, which resonated with the play’s inner humanity, though differed with this London darkness softly permeated by the streetlights of suburbia.

Brent Muirhouse, August 2023

Photography courtesy of Urban Wolves