Andrew Muir’s bizarre short play is puzzle. It deserves credit for looking at twenty-somethings in such a novel manner, although I’m not convinced it tells us all that much. As one of the many characters states about the ‘Young Man’ the play follows, the piece is cute but odd. Too odd, probably, to really work. But Drifting intrigues and has an impressive, quiet confidence.
Influences buzz around the play, which has the air of a fable, with a bit of Beckett and Kafka thrown in. Our hero, like many other characters he meets, is 26 and stuck in a small coastal town, prevented from leaving, possibly by a mist or fog. A series of contrived encounters – with a stranger, his kind-of-girlfriend, a colleague and a worker from an arcade – baffle. Each entertains, too, but the scenes are slightly too long and overplayed. The Young Man’s dream of making it to the city faces a lot of frankly silly obstacles. At least it’s clear, quickly, that the world of the play is different to one most of us recongnise. It jars with talk of zero-hour contracts and house buying, but the disconnect is different and adds originality on top of the whacky touches.
The execution is not quite even enough. Muir’s direction is good, although the speed could pick up. The playground-style set is highly effective and the lighting design proficient. Taking the lead, Trae Walsh gives a strong performance, balancing the frustration and hope that are clearly Muir’s preoccupations. But some of the other actors struggle a little. Olivia McGrath goes big on mysterious, Yarrow May Spillane channels manic, while Amirah Abimbola Alabere does well at showing someone who has given up on their dream. It would be easy to argue about which strategy works best. And I don’t think I know! But mashed together it makes a confusing, sometimes chaotic play. If the aim was to provide changes in pace, it has failed.
Everyone is on firmer ground when it comes to the comedy in Drifted. Walsh takes a back seat, while his mum, dad and manager – Phoebe Woodbridge, Toby Batt and Lewis Allen respectively – add some lovely comic touches. It isn’t a matter of rolling in the aisles, but it is enough to reassure us that the play, while being about serious stuff, doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a fine line and, if Muir loses balance, the effort is admirable.
Until 22 November 2025
Photo by Mark Douet