Review: SOMETHING IN THE AIR, Jermyn Street Theatre

It is a refreshing change to see a romantic story being told from the perspective of two elderly gay men. The world premiere of Peter Gill's new play Something In The Air is a quiet and gently touching play about remembering people and places as life draws to a close.

We meet Alex and Colin, sitting in a care home, holding hands and taking it in turns to reminisce about past loves and losses. As time ticks by, the pair reveal their stories to us, but not to each other, as two young men who played pivotal roles float in and out of their conversations.

Christopher Godwin and Ian Gelder are very convincing as Alex and Colin; a comforting and reassuring presence to each other. Godwin snaps deftly between present day infirmity and confusion, to sharp and witty observations as he presents his life. He honestly reveals a cruel side; serially unfaithful and breaking hearts by succumbing to social pressures to marry.

Gelder is gentle and kindly as Colin, reassuring Alex when he gets agitated. He seems both wistful and resigned to having been one boyfriend of many, even though his own dedication to the relationship is clear.

James Schofield and Sam Thorne-Spinks are underused, but both brimming with youthful exuberance as younger figures, Nicholas and Gareth.

As credible as Claire Price and Andrew Woodall are as the kindly niece Clare and impatient son Andrew, their characters do not add much to the play; they mostly ignore the men they have come to visit and give no real insight into their characters. There is also a disconnect; one moment Andrew is visibly angry at the sight of the men holding hands, so much so that he forcibly tries to prise them apart, yet a short time later, he easily agrees to their reported request to share a room.

At its heart, Something In the Air is a love story, but the structure of the play evolves. At first, it appears that Alex and Colin have always been a couple; that the younger actors are playing Alex and Colin in their youth. The older men converse with them in recreations of past conversations and it only becomes clear much later that the men are talking with and about separate past lovers; I'm not sure you would know what their names were unless you had a copy of the playtext.

The play is billed as a love letter to London and so much detail is given about street names, restaurants and flyovers: some of it is evocative and atmospheric, but sometimes it distracts from the story.

Anett Black's set is simple; two high-backed, plastic-covered chairs sit before a plain painted wall, exactly what you would expect to see in any care home. The pace is suitably sedentary, feeling almost dream-like at points. This is not a play that uses fireworks, but it is not meant to.

Writer Peter Gill, who also co-directs, is now in his eighties and a veteran of writing and directing gay love stories for the stage. The York Realist contains, perhaps, his best writing about gay love, but Something In The Air is a touching and quietly performed production, giving a real insight into the historical queer experience.

Something In The Air is at Jermyn Street Theatre until 12 November

Photo Credit: Steve Gregson

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