Playwright Duncan Campbell says that when he first dreamed up his latest work, On Demand, it had to be a play. The writer envisioned “conflict in a confined space,” something Campbell describes as the “definition of theatre.” It’s no surprise then, that Campbell, a Chiswick local, chose the cosy Tabard Theatre to debut this intense and twisty play. What is surprising is the way such a compact story can take the audience on such an impactful emotional journey.
On Demand centres around Trevor, an endearing, senile octogenarian. He might not remember where he is right now, but play him a song from the sixties, and he’ll tell you exactly what he was doing at the time. He has misty-eyed memories of his life as an artist and looks back on his lost loves and his days as a young father with fondness. While the play introduces Trevor as a gentle old man, it also presents the two shady characters who have been sent to dispose of him. What Trevor did, and whether he deserves his fate, slowly unfurls over the course of the play.
In many ways, the play epitomises the phrase “trust the process.” On Demand keeps its cards close to its chest, but the overall simplicity of the play — its pared-back set and three-person cast — makes it easy for the audience to believe they have all the twists figured out. It takes a while to find its feet and the dialogue between the supporting cast can sound clunky, yet director Nick Bromley has transformed this thoughtful story into a smart and rewarding theatre experience.
Special mention should go to the sound design: with Campbell and Rory O’Farrell working together, the intimate 80-seater studio theatre convincingly takes on the atmosphere of a station, a pub, and a Brighton beachfront. Sam Hill does a great job of cramming as much character and comedy as possible into the ultimately two-dimensional character of Trevor’s executor Matt. It would have been nice for Campbell to push boundaries with the character of Peaches, rather than relying on dated stereotypes of emotional instability in female characters, but Rita Estevanovich taps into the character’s pain and nuances of the role nonetheless.
The play’s crown jewel is John Gorick in the role of Trevor. More than just a main character, large parts of the play are akin to a one-man show. Gorick has the mammoth task of sustaining the audience’s attention throughout and he does so masterfully: it is impossible to not be captivated by Trevor’s storytelling. Even as his past is revealed, the audience can’t help but root for him, ultimately tangling them in the moral question at the centre of the play.
By the time the audience is grappling with that dilemma, it is deliberately too late to reframe the entirety of the play. All that remains is the realisation that on the surface, On Demand is about “conflict in a confined space,” but most importantly, it is about the search for comfort and resolution in a world without answers.
Listing and ticket information can be found here