A Slow Fire review – hope flickers in Simon Stephens’ postapocalyptic bunker drama
Simon Stephens’ A Slow Fire, staged in Jermyn Street Theatre’s basement, follows two men sheltering in a bunker after an unnamed global catastrophe. The review finds the Beckettian drama intelligent and thoughtfully performed, with its focus on memory, companionship and fragile hope giving it emotional resonance, but judges its dramatic momentum and tension insufficient.
Ross Gaynor and Ian Toner play Ashton and Reece, who re-enact treasured memories amid sparse surroundings, while evocative sound design suggests danger outside. Later arrivals, including an armed newcomer and a woman delivering a harrowing account of the world above, introduce genuine hope and threat; however, the reviewer says the plot remains too slight, silences impede pace and some environmental warnings are overly explicit. The production, directed by Rex Ryan, runs until 26 September.
- Intelligent bunker drama lacks sufficient dramatic tension.
- Strong performances explore memory, companionship and hope.
- A Slow Fire runs at Jermyn Street until 26 September.
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A post-apocalyptic drama imagines life after a catastrophe has badly damaged the world. In A Slow Fire, two men, Ashton and Reece, shelter in a bunker and revisit memories of life before it, while sounds suggest that danger remains outside.
The play is by Simon Stephens, a British playwright whose work often explores how people relate to one another. Its small cast and sparse setting put the focus on memory, companionship and how people respond to uncertainty. The story’s wider questions include whether hope can survive when the future is unclear and the world beyond the shelter is dangerous.
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The case for
The production engages thoughtfully with the Beckettian tradition of minimalist drama, where silence, sparse staging and philosophical focus on human connection rather than plot constitute intentional artistic choices. In addressing an unnamed apocalyptic scenario, the play's environmental messaging is appropriately direct rather than overly explicit, and the emphasis on memory and companionship offers emotional and philosophical depth that transcends conventional dramatic structure. Slow pacing allows audiences space to contemplate existential questions rather than being rushed through plot mechanics.
The case against
Whilst the production demonstrates intelligence and capable performances, dramatic momentum and tension serve essential functions even in minimalist work—they engage audiences and create meaningful stakes for the ideas being explored. A slight plot and excessive silences, even when intentional, risk becoming self-indulgent rather than philosophically resonant if they fail to justify themselves through dramatic payoff. Environmental warnings that feel overly explicit in speculative fiction can undermine nuance and become didactic, preventing audiences from arriving at conclusions organically.