Review: The Hostel (Courtyard Theatre)

Review by Sam Waite

⭐️⭐️⭐️

As prices continue to rise while disposable income never seems to catch up, the trend of young travelers opting for cheaper accommodations is as firmly in place as ever. Having years ago (we don’t need to count how many, thank you) made a similar move in my own first overnight trip to a major city, there’s an easy familiarity to Isabella Haldren’s The Hostel, whose Camden Fringe run at the Courtyard Theatre touches on the classic hallmarks of young strangers in too-close quarters.

Three university-aged friends, Brits Bea and Ivy, and American-born Jake, arrive in New York and are immediately greeted by the sight of a violent crime. Understandably but aggravatingly for Bea in particular, pragmatic and ever-organised Ivy is firm in her outlining of rules for the big city – chiefly not going off alone, not speaking to any strangers, and keeping Jake’s penchant for jumping into fights in check. Sharing the two rooms the trio are split between are a quiet traveler, his hard-partying cousin, a couple taking in the city together, and a single girl hoping to break them up.

If you think that sounds like a lot of potential plotlines for a single hour, you may be correct. Everyone has their own arc, or at least a sizeable connection to someone else’s misadventures, and as things progress this can feel like too much. Ivy, Bea and Jake’s dialogue together has an authentic sense of established chemistry and the characters are well-drawn quickly enough that their separate escapades come with a clear sense of what actions are in or out of character for each. With the rest, it feels like we’re still trying to figure them out when a series of late-stage twist shakes the foundations of the rag-tag bunch.

While there are some leaps in logic, like dormmates who have seemingly spent next to no time together and seemingly no one having any sort of key, Haldren’s script largely succeeds thanks to a brisk pace and the author’s own direction. Smaller details like the consistency of where an imagined doorway is have a habit of shifting, but Haldren makes strong use of the Courtyard’s spacious black-box to create the scale of New York City, with it always easy to understand who is or is not sharing a space. When the inevitable happens and people become lost in the city, its gargantuan scale is by then completely believable.

The cast are all skilled and well-suited to their roles, even as some are given more opportunities to truly showcase this. As Ivy, Aimee Sturgess does a fine job of balancing a deep-set neurosis and thirst to prove an adventurous side, while her love interest Parker is brought to life with a strong, assumption-bucking turn from Jake Moon. Other standout moments come from Daniel Vickers’ handling of a genuinely shocking twist from seemingly oblivious boyfriend George, and a strong emotional display from Georgia-born Jake, played ably by KJ Adams.

Lily Forbes brings some real depth to Bea’s airiness and later her annoyance at Ivy’s hypocrisies, while would-be homewrecker Antonia is given a sharpness and real sense of treachery thanks to Briana Croitoru’s portrayal. While everyone does well with their roles, the eleven-strong cast (plus offstage swing) does feel too large for the length of the show, and it does become difficult to give everyone the same attention and weight as some become more secondary while others come to the forefront. The strong mix of actors and Haldren’s direction come most to life in ensemble scenes, particularly when actors are most in motion and the narrative leaps to a near-frantic pace.

Admirable work is done by both Jason Theodoulou and Federica Lodato, as fight director and intimacy coordinator respectively. Thanks to their contributions, the physicality of the piece is frequently exciting without there being any significant risk to the performers. Aided by fight captain Annie Porter, Theodoulou’s choreography for an ill-fated encounter for Jake is entirely believable and genuinely gripping. Likewise, tender moments under Lodato’s guidance feel passionate and truly intimate, something essential to the budding courtship between Ivy and Parker, and to the growing discomfort caused by George and Antonia’s newfound friendship.

Although there are times where a plotline too many plays out, or a character’s motive of the moment becomes easier to lose track of, there’s a real sense of community and companionship behind The Hostel that makes these characters easy to love. Well... most of them, but that would be a spoiler for any future runs! With more time to rework and more tightly form her limitless ideas, Haldren could have something really special on her hands, so clear is the sense of warm familiarity intermingling with the mounting concerns that come with new surroundings, and a constant clash of personalities.

The Hostel played at The Courtyard Theatre as part of the 2026 Camden Fringe

For updates on future performances follow the production on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehostelplay/