REVIEW: 1.17AM, OR UNTIL THE WORDS RUN OUT at the Finborough Theatre 10 February – 7 March 2026

‘some very well-executed rug pulls’ ★★★ ½

Friends can often be as close as family, but they can never quite be family. As we grow older and differences in economic and familial circumstances become more apparent, that truth can make sustaining a friendship difficult. And that’s before you throw romantic relationships into the mix. It’s this fertile ground for drama that Zoe Hunter Gordon’s ‘1.17am, or until the words run out’ inhabits. Katie and Roni, played by Catherine Ashdown and Eileen Duffy respectively, have been friends since childhood, but a series of events has pushed them apart in adulthood. One night, they meet in an incredibly inauspicious location and hash it out. The play asks whether their friendship can be revived – and, more importantly, whether they truly want it to be.

This is a closed-time, closed-location two-hander. At points, that confinement results in a sense of repetition, with the characters circling the same arguments without clear progression. Yet Gordon largely sustains dramatic tension across the 75-minute runtime, aided by some very well-executed rug pulls (on that note, I would urge prospective audiences to avoid promotional material, which reveals one of the play’s early twists).

Sarah Stacey’s direction ups the ante on the script’s tension. Two particularly effective aspects of the production are the set and sound design. Mim Houghton’s set includes walls that tower over the characters, intensifying the claustrophobic atmosphere. Meanwhile, Sarah Spencer’s sound design – much of it muffled, thumping techno – pulses beneath the dialogue.

The script’s dialogue leans heavily into naturalism: Katie and Roni trail off, interrupt one another, and allude to things rather than tackling them head-on. Whilst this lends a compelling truthfulness to the dialogue, it becomes somewhat frustrating, as the audience is left with too little to hang on to. This is especially true towards the end of the play, where the precise nature of a pivotal rupture remains unclear. Some may find this ambiguity compelling; I found myself wishing the script would offer a little more.

1.17am, or until the words run out by Zoe Hunter Gordon / Finborough Theatre / 10 February – 7 March 2026

https://www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk/productions/117am-or-until-the-words-run-out

Production Images Credit- Giulia Ferrando