Meeting your one true love on a train delayed by “suicide stopper” negotiations is not something the majority of us fantasise about, but this is where we find Billy (Benny Ainsworth) and Rachel (Sally Paffett) of Triptych Theatre’s Vermin at The Park Theatre. Saccharine and a little ditzy, Rachel gives major Stacey Solomon X Factor audition energy and Billy has puppy eyes for days. They quickly marry and move into their first home.
All seems too good to be true until they find rats living under their floorboards. That is where their past truly begins to unearth.
There is only one word that describes how this production makes us feel: unnerved. We know immediately that a casual mention of a pregnancy that “didn’t work out” and Billy’s meandering tale of childhood depravity, culminating with a dead cat, are going to come back to bite us. This is not a play for the squeamish, but this is testament to Ainsworth’s script and his and Paffett’s acting. The staging is so pared back, with no props or music, that their storytelling is all we can focus on. Judging by the uncomfortable laughter and visible wincing in the audience, this hit the mark.
Also to be enjoyed is Vermin’s self-awareness. The whole show is a fourth wall break. Rachel and Billy know they are performing their grief, with audience member eye contact and references to “lines” and “bits.” But who exactly are they performing for, and are they even reliable? These questions make their story ever sadder. The incremental claustrophobia as the rats take over their home and their subconscious makes us realise just how isolated they are. It is no wonder they spiral the way they do.
This spiral is tightly executed in the show’s hour run time. Ainsworth and Paffett are great at creating an overall sense of unease alongside dark humour. We know some tragedy is going to ensue but are regularly pulled back to the safety of comedy. Billy and Rachel, for brief moments, become a couple recounting a funny story to friends rather than a pair gripped by compulsion. Their ability to switch quickly between these tones is impressive.
So if you are looking for a darkly funny but touching show with excellent performances, Vermin ticks all the boxes. Ainsworth clearly knows his characters inside out, and Paffett lives and breathes Rachel. If you have only ever seen rats as vermin, think again. Here they are a window to a couple’s grief and overwhelming obsession.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
