Review: KOMPROMAT, VAULT Festival

Written by David Thame, Kompromat was inspired by the still-unsolved murder of a GCHQ agent and sees young Zac (Max Rinehart) coming to terms with his action. Arriving to London from a sex-trafficking circuit based in Budapest, his only goal is to either get cryptographer Tom to work for the mob or to get rid of him.

Thame's script is clever as he addresses the audience through his protagonist to explain the implications of his actions. He leads the public to empathise with him, single-handedly showing how an unexpectedly wrong turn in life can lead to tragedy.

Director Peter Darney builds a sexually charged show, at times tipping into gratuitous nudity but delivering the story effectively. Rinehart is captivating as the main character. He alternates cockiness to vulnerability, keeping an underlying tone of utter terror throughout. He's entered something bigger than him and doesn't know how to handle it properly.

From being unable to look at Tom's dead body to slipping through his lies, he brings his character alive while, as Tom, Guy Warren-Thomas is at times a bit stodgy in his performance. A fascinating take on an unsolved mystery, Kompromat might still have a little bit to go to reach what it could be but shows great potential.

Kompromat runs at VAULT Festival until 3 February.

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