Review: Slippery (Omnibus Theatre)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One of the biggest joys of reviewing isn’t just discovering new plays, but exciting and promising new playwrights, too. That was the case when I first stumbled on Louis Emmitt-Stern in 2023 after looking for shows to review at the much-missed VAULT Festival and being intrigued by I F*cked You In My Spaceship purely by the title. It wasn’t just the show I ended up loving; it was Emmitt-Stern’s writing style, and I have spent the last three years eagerly awaiting more from him. I got my wish with the announcement of the world premiere of his latest offering, Slippery, at Omnibus Theatre in Clapham, but would this sophomore offering reach the same dizzying heights as his spaceship play, or prove a slippery slope downwards in comparison?

Slippery has been in development for a while now, winning Soho Theatre’s Tony Craze Award, and is now ready for its world premiere production. It is set in Jude’s London flat at 3am as he and Kyle return from a night out. Nothing out of the ordinary about that, right? The only trouble is that Kyle and Jude are ex-boyfriends who broke up 10 years ago and haven’t seen each other since. Following an accident, Kyle has been contacted as Jude’s Next of Kin and has come to his rescue, settling into Jude’s new flat to revisit old ground. Though both have moved on in the years since, old habits are brought to the boil at the same time as the spaghetti Jude is cooking, and with a fine line between addiction and recovery, it’s not just the spaghetti that threatens to go flying, as both run the risk of falling.

In a short and snappy 80 minutes, Slippery covers a lot of ground. Mostly taking place in real time, its opening is full of intrigue as we wonder what has caused Jude’s accident and the relationship between the two men. The revelations come thick and fast, particularly involving both Jude and Kyle’s subsequent partners. The result is a natural and believable two-hander that comes across as an authentic conversation the audience is intruding on by listening. This is all part of Louis Emmitt-Stern’s strengths as a writer - his ability to take the seemingly ordinary and inconsequential and make it as compelling as is the case here is a huge part of what makes this first outing such a resounding success.

Emmitt-Stern opts not to spoonfeed the audience, and even leaves aspects of the story vague, allowing the audience to fill in the gaps. The nature of Jude’s late partner is barely covered, as are their battles with sobriety and the journeys that got there. Addiction and recovery forms a key part of the story, but unlike other similar stories, it doesn’t dominate the play. It is just one part of a rich tapestry of themes covering every aspect of life and love. The awkwardness between the pair, the discovery of old feelings, the quick changes from one extreme mood to another as each tiptoe around each other - it all feels very real. If you have ever had an encounter with an ex post breakup, you too may relate to the story and find aspects of it familiar - I know I certainly did.

It is the assumption that the audience knew more than had thus far been revealed that allowed Slippery to cover so much ground in such little time, allowing for two incredibly fleshed-out characters. It is a testament to the strength of Emmitt-Stern’s writing just how much we get to learn about each of them in such a short space of time, filling in the blanks as we learn more. As old wounds are revisited, Jude and Kyle display signs of co-dependency and the reasons they would have broken up with both bring out the worst in each other at times. Still, the love is there to see, and the way Emmitt-Stern makes this clear despite these complex and conflicting themes is part of what wowed me.

The skill is matched with Matthew Iliffe’s direction, finding all of the heart, humour and humanity in Emmitt-Stern’s writing and finding the best way to realise this. Though it touches on some heavy themes throughout, Slippery is frequently funny, and this is amplified in Iliffe’s direction, particularly in the exaggerated and comical spaghetti flying scene, allowing the poster for the show to make sense (careful if you sit in the front row, however, which is not so much a splash zone as it is a pasta zone). Also impressive is Hannah Schmidt’s set design, elaborate in nature and featuring a working kitchen, stretching beyond the perceived limitations I had for a small but mighty fringe venue like the Omnibus.

Though the premise and execution are both strong in themselves, it is the incredible performances from the cast of two that take Slippery to the next level. John McCrea has proven what a phenomenal actor he is time and time again, and this is no exception. The more animated of the two, his movements and interpretations of the dialogue are grander than his counterpart, but we soon learn a lot about his reasons for doing this, and what exactly his character of Jude has been through and is coping with. Navigating grief, addiction and loneliness, McCrea has no shortage of heavy themes to include in his performance, but he delivers each beautifully and authentically. The intimate nature of Omnibus meant the tears in his eyes were clear to see, making the affair all the more emotional, and his performance all the more raw and real for it.

Though his character of Kyle is far more understated in comparison, Perry Williams never risks being in John McCrea’s shadow, more than matching his outstanding performance with an impressive turn of his own. There is a real intensity to his character, which Williams taps into magnificently, particularly in a pivotal and uncomfortable scene where he simply stares for an extended period, wordless. Words are not needed for Williams to showcase what an incredible actor he is, but when he does speak, they more than make the desired impact. It is the stark differences in both characters and performances that make Slippery so compelling, with their fragmented dynamic bringing a sense of danger and making it clear why both are so drawn to each other.

If I discovered Louis Emmitt-Stern by chance, purely down to a previous show title that piqued my interest, I have stuck with him since, and the artistry involved in Slippery makes it clear I was right to do this. A truly gifted writer, this is a new peak for him, bringing the story of a seemingly ordinary night and making it feel extraordinary. Real and relatable, the two actors bringing the story to life take Slippery to the next level in a play that should continue to go from strength to strength, ensuring it has a long relationship with theatres in the years to come. This may have been the world premiere outing for Slippery, but mark my words, it is not the last. You will be seeing it again on bigger stages, so get a ticket to see it in such an intimate and exposing setting while you still can. Just be ready to be craving spaghetti when the show is over.

Slippery plays at Omnibus Theatre until 11th April. Tickets from https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/slippery/

Photos by Ali Wright