Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – In Philip Ridley’s relentless THE POLTERGEIST, Joseph Potter dazzlingly animates an inner life under duress

• By drediman
• February 8, 2021
• No Comments

Over the last decade or so, Philip Ridley has honed his playwriting skills to become an expert animator of inner lives under duress, as exemplified by emotionally taxing solo shows like Tonight with Donny Stixx and Dark Vanilla Jungle. Indeed, his latest one-man play The Poltergeist — which is currently available for on-demand streaming via London’s Southwark Playhouse through February 28 — is just as charged and eager to put audiences through the ringer as those earlier monologues. As in his shocker of a play Mercury Fur, the British playwright also once again proves (much like Phoebe Waller-Bridge in her breakout hit Fleabag) that he’s not one to shy away from depicting the darker, more unsavory side of human nature.

In The Poltergeist, Mr. Ridley paints a slicingly candid firsthand portrait of Sasha, a mentally unstable artist and former child prodigy. The work follows its troubled anti-hero over the course of a single day – notably navigating a triggering trip to his niece’s birthday party – during which tensions escalate to a feverishly unsustainable pitch. As the pill-popping Sasha grapples with his troubled past and anxiety-ridden present, he resorts to increasingly impetuous and destructive behavior (handily living up to the troublemaking antics of the titular spirit), both to himself and those around him, including his saint-like boyfriend Chet. Mr. Ridley’s writing remains as evocative as ever, in equal turn unsettling and exhilarating as Sasha recklessly goes down his psychological rabbit hole.

Much of the 70-minute show’s success rides on the shoulders of the actor tasked to perform Sasha. Fortunately, Joseph Potter — a technically dazzling actor — is up to the challenge and is sensational in the central role. Mr. Potter plows through Mr. Ripley’s roller coaster of a confessional with abandon and impressive physicality, which left me breathless and a little bit overwhelmed by the intensity sustained by the young actor. As a disclaimer, the combination of the script’s relentless extremities and Mr. Potter’s hyperactive, switchblade performance may not be to everyone’s taste, but those looking to be shocked and awed will find The Poltergeist well worth their time.

RECOMMENDED

THE POLTERGEIST
Theater, Play / On-Demand
Southwark Playhouse
70 minutes (without an intermission)
Through February 28