REVIEW: Slippery by Louis Emmitt-Stern at Omnibus Theatre 17 March - 11 April 2026
‘….the writing is sincere, genuine’ ★★★ ½
My first visit to the charming Omnibus Theatre near Clapham Common and a strong two hander where, the risk of being covered in spaghetti aside, we can safely say a writing talent has taken the next step on a journey to greater things. Louis Emmitt-Stern’s ‘Slippery’ explores in real time what happens when two former partners are re-united through fate(ish), and how their reactions to one another 10 years on challenge and envelope them over the course of an evening which ultimately changes everything - and nothing.
Upright and somewhat uptight Kyle (Perry Williams) is busting for a pee in the flat of flighty Jude (John McCrea) who himself is in the toilet ‘sorting himself out’ following, what transpires, was a nasty fall. A slow and steady start leads to the un-peeling of the onion (literally and figuratively) of their previous life together which came to an end when Kyle, simply, disappeared. Since then, we find that Kyle is married and about to exit the UK whilst Jude’s partner has recently passed away and he is struggling to keep his fragile life going, especially in the face of a change in lifestyle and outlook.
Initially Jude is hurt and wounded but then, as red wine is poured and pasta is cooked (kudos to Hannah Schmidt’s set which allows carbonara to be made - the smell was delightful), he becomes overtly testy and then flirtatious. Kyle looks to make an exit more than once but plot devices seamlessly pull him back in and the relationship between the two makes several shifts until, suddenly, it seems that an ‘agreement’ on a joint future has been reached before a further and final shift in tone leads us to the next day and a finality of sorts.
In truth, there is little new here in terms of it being a two hander, ghosts and sins of the past, the slow unravelling of lives and something of a tickbox of emotions. There are always limitations with this kind of performance but the writing is sincere, genuine and at no point feels contrived. I believed every word which eschewed stereotype and whilst the 80 minutes perhaps covered a little too much ground, Emmitt-Stern never lingers or overstates points - his characterisations feels absolutely on point and there is truth to what Kyle and Jude both feel and say.
Of course the show is further elevated by the two actors who have a natural affinity with and for one another. McCrea - so good in the Almeida’s Daddy : A Melodrama which I really liked and, of course, as Jamie who everyone talked about - is such a natural actor who can slip through the emotional gears whilst retaining Jude's very heart. Both were great but McCrea is a huge talent.
There is no happy ending and, indeed, there is not really much of an ending at all but that is the right way for Slippery. The right way I hope for Emmitt-Stern is a bigger, longer, wider next piece of theatre writing.
Photography: Ali Wright
Cast - John McCrea and Perry Williams
Creative Team
Writer – Louis Emmitt-Stern
Director – Matthew Iliffe
Designer – Hannah Schmidt
Lighting Designer – Ryan Joseph Stafford
Sound Designer – Anna Short
Intimacy Director Jess Tucker Boyd
Casting Director Nadine Rennie
Dramaturg Gillian Greer
Produced by Lucy Jessica for Salt Lick Productions
