Written and Performed by Patrick McPherson

Review by Josie Rose Embleton

Patrick McPherson, no stranger to sell-out festival hits including The Man and Colossal, brings to life another gripping story.

The play follows the two-decade relationship of childhood friends Jack and Ben. Ben, our protagonist, energetically takes us through differing periods of his life, beautifully aided by around six LED lights used intricately to further separate the varying worlds and times of Ben’s story. From describing his first night out with Jack, weaving in snippets of their childhood conversations allowing the audience to peek into a little slice of these character’s history, to recounting the time they met after Ben returned from university, cloaked in a new confidence originally belonging to Jack. Carefully highlighting Ben’s insecurity, the script spotlights his increasing need to mimic his childhood friend’s perceived charm and charisma, making the events of the play evermore hard-hitting. 

McPherson is dynamic in his performance, with an energy that fills the stage despite his solo presence. Conveying every character and emotion with ease and conviction, McPherson breathes a true life into every scene. The script plays with other elements of performance and art, including spoken word, melody, and original music as these are carefully woven into the story. While in some sense adding to the excitement and vibrancy of the play’s backdrop, living in your 20s, creating a slicker transition into these lyrical moments might have been beneficial in terms of narrative clarity.

Together with McPherson’s intricate and skilful characterization, the creative lighting is compelling in its use. The LEDs fill an otherwise empty stage, creating rooms, becoming props, the light of a mobile phone, and a nightclub. Used so precisely are these lights with timing so accurate between McPherson, and the music, that together they essentially become one.

The play’s plot twist and ending will linger long after the final blackout, enhancing the recurrent and thought-provoking themes in the script of regret, nostalgia, friendship, loneliness, and the strain of youth. An important story, a bold and powerful performance, and a glimmering stage, The Way Way Deep is a new and striking piece of theatre.