Review: FIREWING, Hampstead Theatre

Photo credit: Pamela Raith

David Pearson is an alumnus of Hampstead Theatre’s excellent INSPIRE course, which offers aspiring playwrights the opportunity to learn from others and to improve their work. Now, thanks to Hampstead’s Associate Director Alice Hamilton, his play Firewing has been given a coherent and confident production in the Downstairs theatre.

The setting is a bird hide, where grouchy old hand Tim has been persuaded to train an aspiring young wildlife photographer, Marcus. Things do not begin well, and after much amusing though sweary repartee, it becomes clear that there is more going on here than is first apparent. We don’t hear too much about photography or wildlife either as the main focus is on the difficult dynamic that develops between the two men. An informative programme, as always at Hampstead, includes the usual interview to set the scene for audience members. And, remarkably, it’s free.

The excellent performances from believably off-hand Charlie Beck as Marcus and a totally accurate portrayal by Gerard Horan of a man whose enthusiasm for wildlife photography is almost completely masked by a series of massive chips on his shoulder, give life to the early scenes of this short play (1 hour 25 mins with no interval). The realistic setting for the play (by Good Teeth) gives a solid grounding to the piece, and can be convincingly changed to allow for the time-shifting in the later stages of the play. By then, the issues relate to ethics and morality rather than photography and rare birds.

It is those later stages that are most successful, where we delve further into Tim’s history and his difficult relationship with his own father. By requiring the same two actors to play these roles, the playwright underlines the similarities between Tim’s upbringing and his own relationship with a younger newcomer. This added information helps to make Tim a rather more complete and coherent character than Marcus, who remains slightly unconvincing despite an excellent performance from newcomer Beck.

The final scene of the play, with Tim now unable to take photographs and Marcus having gained a new enthusiasm, contains some fine writing. It is clear that David Pearson has potential and let us hope there will continue to be theatres like Hampstead championing new writing like Firewing and enabling theatregoers to discover the playwrights of tomorrow.

*** Three stars

Reviewed by: Chris Abbott

Firewing plays at London’s Hampstead Theatre until 23 May, with further info here.