Review: VERMIN by Benny Ainsworth/Triptych Theatre at Etcetera, Camden 25/26 March 2022

Disa Andersen • Mar 28, 2022


‘Vermin is a really strong piece of storytelling coupled with clever writing; fascinating, entertaining and horrifying all at once.’ ★★★★


When one has been reviewing on the fringe scene for as long as I have, every show starts to look like each other. Particularly during preview season. So, it's always refreshing when a show brings along something different. Even if that something different is completely unhinged. On paper, Vermin by Benny Ainsworth, is a typical fringe show. It's an hour-long two-hander with minimal set and minimal tech requirements. But what makes this show different are the characters, played by Benny Ainsworth and Sally Paffett.


Rachel and Billy are drawn to each other because they are different, two knives in a drawer full of spoons if you will. They meet under unusual circumstances and things move quickly from there on. Before they know it, they are married and living together in a house they plan to do up. But they aren't alone, there is another presence ever present in their relationship.


The snappy modern dialogue is well suited for the quick back and forth way the characters use to tell the story. We get to know Rachel and Billy as well as hear the story from both of their perspectives in an entertaining way. Ainsworth and Paffett have great chemistry and read well as a married couple going through the motions. The writing is clever and challenges the viewer to think after each laugh. Using hints of surrealism, the whole story reminds one of a modern folk tale, less H.C Andersen and more the original Grimm tales.


This show is not for the faint of heart and the trigger warnings could include more detail. Currently the show literature only says: Contains adult themes which may be distressing for some viewers. Whilst it is important not to spoil the integrity of the story, audiences may easily be triggered by various themes in this play. The show contains themes of suicide, miscarriage and graphic descriptions of animal abuse.


Additionally, it includes depictions of OCD that some may find upsetting. Billy uses his OCD to excuse his violent tendencies, a throw away statement that is not explored any further in the text and as a standalone statement seems rather uncalled for. With more context it might read as an interesting character study but as it is it looks as if the show is trying to use mental illness as a way to explain erratic behaviour. Although it is a well-known trope from older horror films but one I thought we'd moved past in 2022.



Vermin is a really strong piece of storytelling coupled with clever writing. It is fascinating, entertaining and horrifying all at once. It is one of those pieces that will have you talking for hours afterwards and definitely not one to miss at this year's fringe.

 

VERMIN by Benny Ainsworth/Triptych Theatre

Etcetera Theatre, Camden 25/26 March 2022

Brighton Fringe, Laughing Horse - Walrus Raised Room: 15th May @ 4:30PM, 16th May @ 8:15PM, 19th May @ 9:30PM, 22nd May @ 8:15PM, 29th May @ 3:15PM, 30th May @ 9:30PM.

Plus, one performance at Caroline of Brunswick, 28th May @ 2:00PM.

Box Office: https://www.brightonfringe.org/whats-on/vermin-162046/

Written by Benny Ainsworth, performed by Sally Paffett and Benny Ainsworth, directed by Michael Parker, all co-founders of Triptych Theatre.

 

Reviewed by:

Dísa Andersen is an Icelandic actress and writer based in London. She has been producing and creating theatre on the fringe scene since 2012. Dísa is the founder and co-owner of Frigg Theatre, a co nordic theatre company with a focus on feminist work. Her poetry collection, 365 Cups Of Tasteless Coffee, is available online, on Amazon and through disaandersen.com. She is currently working on RED PILL at Lion and Unicorn Theatre (14 – 18 June 2022)

 

 

 

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