REVIEW: AFTERGLOW by S Asher German at Southwark Playhouse 12 Jan – 10 Feb 2024

‘Realism and Depth’ ★★★★

So much of the very best art comes from personal experience. When I first saw S Asher German’s Afterglow in London a good few years back I enjoyed it but had little knowledge of the writer’s own experiences that moulded the story. Fast forward to 2024 and the wondrous Southwark Playhouse have staged a very modern and smart updating - driven by German’s very personal experiences.

The opening is breathtaking. Black glass, sunlight, pumping music and lush drapes give us a glimpse of shadowy intwined bodies to then reveal 3 men luxuriating in post coital bliss. This is New York - it’s all very New York actually - and married couple Alex and Josh have invited a younger man, Darius, to join them for the evening and evidently everyone has had a good time.

Josh and Alex are a solid couple - they riff, they caress, they talk about impending parenthood and all seems well. However, it all changes as Darius has caught the eye of Josh in particular who asks his husband if he can see the younger man outside of the threesome. Alex says ‘Yes’ and, well, you can probably guess where it all goes……

……and it does indeed go where you’d expect - Josh and Darius form a bond that is beyond just sex and the ‘L’ word is then mentioned. Lies are told, Alex finds out and what appeared a perfect, happy relationship is then stretched and tested.

The writing is smart and bold - I was fully engaged and loved how the characters chatted, joked and were very natural. There were some decent laughs and the press night audience seemed hooked. S Asher German shares his life with ‘two incredible men’ - his husband and his partner - and thus we shouldn’t be surprised at the realism and depth of the story - there is truth here.

Beyond that, the performances lift the piece still further. As Darius, James Nicholson deftly plays a young man finding his place in life and love - a lost soul until Alex and Josh introduce him to a world where he (maybe) belongs. Peter McPherson’s Josh is vivacious, frenetic and torn by his love for his husband and how he feels about this new entrant to his life. It’s Victor Hugo’s Alex who anchors the show - he is completely plausible, maintains a dignity and strength but shows vulnerability and sadness. The three work brilliantly together.

The Southwark Playhouse has never looked so good (it also smelled gorgeous as well!). The set is malleable, the lighting and music precise yet dynamic, and the actors move with balletic yet physical grace (credit here to Ann Beyersdorfer (Set), Jamie Roderick (Lighting Designer) and Alex Mackyol (Sound)).

A few qualms aside - I rather tired of the constant showering which was cute and something of a metaphor but ultimately felt over-played, and the whole thing is maybe 10 minutes too long - the show felt like a wholly universal and timely story. It wasn’t a ‘gay’ story or a ‘polyamory’ story - or even a ‘New York’ story. It’s a story about honesty and love and how we fundamentally deal with life.

Photo credit: The Other Richard

AFTERGLOW by S Asher German at Southwark Playhouse 12 Jan – 10 Feb 2024

Box Office https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/afterglow/

Reviewed by Paul Maidment