Review: AETHER, Jermyn Street Theatre

Typically, science and the arts are pitted against each other. Every year we see outcry over schools funding being allocated to STEM over theatre and music, and every day concern grows over the threat AI could pose to creativity. Emma Howlett’s Aether, a sell-out Fringe hit, seeks to marry the two, putting the rivalry aside to explore physics through theatricality.

Set against a plush blue curtain, the cast of four morph through a series of characters, dotted throughout history, each of them a woman whose advances in physics and illusions are dismissed or begrudged by the men around her. At the root of the story is PhD student Sophie, whose existential crisis about her dark matter project prompts her to research historical women in science and maths. As their stories intersect with her own, it puts pressure on her relationship with her girlfriend, and sends her spiralling further about whether her studies have meaning.

Aether is, above all else, strikingly original. It’s hard to draw comparisons for a show so unapologetically strange and ambitious. It combines very technical and theoretical scientific language with dance sequences and multi-roling, in a piece of theatre that feels akin to an oxymoron. There are flashes of genius in Howlett’s idea, especially in the show’s nod to Plato’s allegory of the cave, recreated with a school-style overhead projector. 

At the same time, though, the show sometimes proves why the worlds of science and theatre are so rarely combined to this extent. The plot often gets stuck in physics theory, much of which is necessary for the story, but takes time to explain. There are definitely instances of telling rather than showing – this is a very wordy show that demands your full attention to get the most out of it. 

Where this is most apparent is in many of the shows' knowing looks and in-joke nods – it flirts with pretentiousness in a way that doesn’t always come off warmly, without a satisfying payoff that goes beyond the continued prevalence of sexism in STEM. It’s always going to be difficult to warm up theatregoing audiences to a show about physics and maths, and Aether didn’t fully win me over.

With that said, Howlett’s directing skills shine throughout. The interspersed movement and dance sequences are some of Aether’s highlights, injecting the show with fun and theatricality, while the staging is consistently creative and well thought-through, using the JST’s intimate space smartly. She works well with Ed Saunders’ excellent lighting, revolving around a circular central light, and Ellie Wintour’s simple but effective set. The only small issue here is that the projected text is very difficult to read against blue curtains.

Aether’s watchability is due in great part to its cast of four, who are perfectly balanced and utterly in sync as an ensemble. Sophie Kean keeps the show grounded as Sophie, while Anna Marks Pryce is warm and instantly likeable in her turn as Sophie’s girlfriend. Gemma Barnett has great stage presence and voice work skills, while Abby McCann really excels in the show’s comedic and movement-based moments, drawing your eyes to her. 

While Aether’s experiment didn’t fully pay off for me, sometimes struggling to truly mesh theatre and science together, it’s always exciting to see work that’s properly new and genuinely original. I look forward to seeing what theatregoose make next. 

Aether runs at Jermyn Street Theatre until 4 April 2026.