Driftwood | A Sensitive and Intimate Piece of Theatre | Theatre Review

Previously on this website, I shared my thoughts on Pentabus Theatre’s The Silence and The Noise, an excellent piece which has since gone on to win the Off West End Award for Best Online Production (Read my thoughts on that show here):

Pentabus Theatre continues to make fantastic theatre accessible, whilst also celebrating their 50th birthday; as a part of their 50th birthday celebrations, a remarkable show Driftwood, a new play from Tom Foley is streaming online now until the 27th of March – this Wednesday. This is an emotional journey, centred around two brothers and their father’s declining health and passing. 

*I was asked to watch and review this show, but all thoughts and opinions written are not influenced at all and are entirely my own*

Show: Driftwood
Writer: Tom Foley
Director(s): Neil Bettles & Elle While
Venue: Online – accessible theatre!
Rating: ★★★★★

Driftwood is a live filming of the performance and is now there for audiences to watch at their leisure. This not only makes theatre accessible for all, something well worth championing, but the addition of it being a filmed theatre show ensures audiences at home still have that unmatched feeling of watching live theatre. Furthermore, the show is fully captioned. Pentabus Theatre is a company leading the way showing that theatre should and can be accessible to all.

Written by Tom Foley and co-directed by Neil Bettles and Elle While, Driftwood is sensitive and melancholic, both in the script and the performances from James Westphal and Jerome Yates, as Mark and Tiny. The pair have a natural chemistry, bouncing their lines off each other with ease. The authenticity felt in their performances makes it fully believable that they are brothers who have been distant in recent times but brought back together through their mutual loss. The script combined with the pair’s acting choices brings their relationship to life, and has been done cleverly whereupon the silence and their action choices in these moments, speak volumes as much as the text does. It almost feels like a very apt metaphor for coping with grief itself: the words said to one another in this time do matter, but arguably more importantly, even if nothing is said at all, it’s just knowing there’s someone there with you. This is brilliantly and effectively reflected throughout the show. 

Furthermore, the text is cleverly constructed. A mix of reminiscence, occasional humour and then the stark reminder of what has brought these brothers back together again, grief becoming a character all on its own. All these combined and interwoven into the script is a realistic representation of the emotions when grieving, and a reminder that human emotions are far from linear and simple. 

Westphal and Yates lead the show; in fact, they are the only two people on stage throughout its entirety. It cannot be easy to capture and maintain an audience’s attention with just two people, minimal set and costumes, for a length of time; however, the pair do so masterfully. The way they embody the roles and their performances are captivating to watch, immersing you wholeheartedly into a glimpse of their lives. This immersion is aided with skillfully used video design – from Sarah Readman – that spans the back wall. This is used to bring the beach whereupon Driftwood takes place, never detracting from the show itself nor the story, but elevating it. With this minimal staging and casting, the piece feels intimate; it feels less like watching a show and more like watching two brothers lay their hearts and minds out for the other to see.

Something I found particularly interesting was the characterisation of Mark and Tiny, and within it, I found the use of costumes, courtesy of Daria Vasko, and what these costumes represent even more intriguing – notably for the first portion of the show. The two brothers are distinctly different, and this is made very clear by Westphal and Yates’ acting choices; the irony is that whilst Tiny is in more casual, loose clothing, he has a clearer mindset and has been dealing with the sibling’s father by himself; he is the more openly emotional of the two and also the one who seems to be coping the best out of the two. Mark is in a much smarter costume, yet he seems to be the more locked away of the two, showing fewer emotions and appearing to be thinking very logically and literally whilst not coping as well at all, still very much in shock and coming to terms with his father’s passing. Whilst these two costumes do work well for both characters, it also feels like what each brother is wearing, somewhat mirrors what the opposite brothers’ mindset is like throughout the piece. The two characters have been fleshed out wonderfully and have so much depth to them; by the time the show finishes, it would be hard not to have your heart go out to them.  

Running at one hour and twenty minutes, Driftwood is a moving exploration of brotherhood, grief, mourning, love, reminiscing, and so much more. It is a cleverly constructed piece of theatre that is an example of powerful storytelling, and raises the importance of family, and even more so, men’s mental health. Courtesy of Foley’s writing, with Bettles and While’s direction bringing the script to the stage, Driftwood handles the complexities of the human heart and mind in a way that is sensitive, heartfelt and touching. A beautiful and intimate piece of theatre, with Driftwood, Pentabus Theatre has once more shown how skilled they are, telling stories that are layered, absorbing and stay with you long after the show has finished, for all the right reasons. 

Driftwood is available to stream online – for free! – until the 27th March. You can watch it here: https://pentabus.co.uk/live/driftwood-live-capture

Find out more about Pentabus Theatre here: https://pentabus.co.uk/