REVIEW: AN INSTINCT by Hugo Timbrell at Old Red Lion Theatre 18 Nov – 6 Dec
"a compelling, atmospheric piece of new writing that examines the darker instincts that lie beneath love" ★★★½
In AN INSTINCT, Hugo Timbrell delivers a tense, unsettling drama that probes the blurry borders between love, obsession, and self-preservation.
Tom and Max are former lovers forced back together when a deadly virus prompts them to flee to a remote cabin in the woods. What should be a refuge quickly becomes a pressure cooker. Old wounds resurface, resentments are traded like currency, and the pair soon find themselves dissecting their relationship. When Max’s current boyfriend, Charlie - abandoned mid-crisis - enters the narrative, the emotional terrain grows even more unstable.
Timbrell keeps the audience guessing: is the virus real, or has Tom engineered the entire scenario to isolate Max and regain control? Or, in denying the virus exists and trying to win Max back, is Charlie putting all their lives at risk? The ambiguity is gripping. Themes of coercive control, blame, and toxic devotion coil together as the play edges towards a disturbing yet inevitable climax.
The production’s slow-burn tension is carefully calibrated. Doubt permeates every interaction: Tom and Charlie’s motives are murky and complex, and Max, buffeted by conflicting loyalties, is pushed to finally make a decision about the future for himself. As suspicion deepens, the question of who is telling the truth and what the consequences might be looms heavily.
The staging is understated and effective: a naturalistic country cottage living room complete with log burner, worn sofa, lamp, and scattered creature comforts that contrast sharply with the psychological unease. The design creates a believable, claustrophobic environment in which the characters’ anxieties can fester. Strong sound design and subtle lighting shifts heighten the sense of isolation and entrapment.
Timbrell’s dialogue is sharp, often funny, and convincingly overlapping, capturing the rhythms of real conversation even as tensions escalate. These naturalistic exchanges are elevated further by strong performances and clear, assured direction, making AN INSTINCT a compelling, atmospheric piece of new writing that examines the darker instincts that lie beneath love.
Croft and Dye Productions presents
AN INSTINCT by Hugo Timbrell
The Old Red Lion Theatre
18 Nov – 6 Dec
Photography: Craig Fuller
