Review of ‘Down The Road’: “When crime doesn’t pay”

London’s newly opened Playhouse East welcomes its second production, revolving around the conversations between two journalists and a notorious serial killer. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know if its stinging narrative is either honed or deserves the knives out.

Everyone has a little psycho in them – mine just happens to suffer from hypertrophy. Maybe that’s the reason why crime stories fascinates us so much. If there’s something the London scene has proven unequivocally, that’s how homicidal tales easily slay it onstage – with two of the most popular options in the current West End offer belonging to the now long-gone Queen of Mystery (I mean Agatha Christie, not a drag that masquerades insults as compliments).

And so, it comes as no surprise that the fringe sector has tried their chances in this field once again. Why wouldn’t it? It doesn’t take much to put on a play about a blood-thirsty sociopath. Just find a good plot, solid characters, and maybe that unexpected twist everyone is expecting, and you’ll probably get away with murder. However, if you don’t have any clue about what you’re doing, you may end up with anything but an arresting narrative.

I’d be lying if I said I don’t have strong feelings for Down The Road, the second show to land on the recently opened Playhouse East. Unfortunately, none of them are too positive. Two journalists in a romantic relationship set up a series of interviews with a notorious serial killer, responsible for countless deaths of young women. They don’t intend to judge him (the court has already taken care of that), but instead, understanding the reason behind his actions – and through that process, digging into the root of his evil.

There’s nothing wrong about this sort of premise. It has grip and potential for a deep exploration into the human psyche. The problem relies in the writer’s inability to exploit those possibilities. Sadly, the script just doesn’t apply to any of them. Instead, we are presented with a collection of cliches that provide no element of surprise, suspense or interest – and which only contribute to the decreasing appeal of the piece and its themes all throghout.

There’s very little truthfulness lying within any of its characters – all of them, looking incredibly archetypical, behaving the way they are predicted to as opposed to the way they really are. As a result, they are incapable of resonating with an audience, since their lack of individuality (added to a complete absence of an arc) prevents us from wanting to invest ourselves into their journey – which, at the same time, seems extremely bleary.

Performed in the round by juxtaposing two separate ambiances (a hotel and an interrogation room), its overly figurative staging deprives the production from any sensation of threat or eeriness – not only unable to translate the text’s dark tone into a visual counterpart, but also struggling to display any hints of originality in its execution. On the other hand, none of the renditions manage to make up for the material’s issues – carried out with adequate naturalness, but not flaunting sufficient flair, chemistry or elaborateness.

Structurally disembowelled while butchering every given opportunity to stand out, Down The Road is far from regaling viewers with a cutting-edge recount and closer to leaving them gutted. Flawed with unresponsive dialogue and weak to non-existent dramatic turns, the play must undergo a full makeover before showing any glimpses of sharpness and pierce within it. It’s shouldn’t be a dead loss if handled the right way. But as of now, its narrative is basically lifeless.

Down The Road plays at London’s Playhouse East until 29 March. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara