Three women meet on a chilling wilderness retreat, and along with their hiking backpacks, they bring their conflicting and dangerous experiences of being an American.
The Drayton Arms Theatre is a cosy space which sits above a lively and lavish pub. Quite contrasting to the atmosphere downstairs, it housed Michael Eichler’s bleak and desolate play ‘Fresh Mountain Air’. The production did a fantastic job of transporting it’s audience from the energetic West London pub to a much more chilling story set in a desolate Cabin within the forests of Washington.
We see three women residing in the cabin, in what seems like an Airbnb set up, taking part in a ‘Women’s Trailing’ expedition. I was not familiar with this concept until ‘Fresh Mountain Air’, immediately grabbing me into the circumstances about to unfold. Eichler uses this set up to explore the intersectionality of Americans and specifically women in America. I would like to praise Eichler’s aims to write character’s with many dimensions. Alyssa, Kayla and Leslie each bring brilliantly dynamic characteristics, experiences and views. They are unique, questionable and empathetic, all aspects constantly shifting throughout the play. We really don’t know how we do feel or how we ‘should’ feel about them and that is exciting as an audience member. The play subtly weaves discussions of race, womanhood and politics (in all it’s aspects) throughout and these topics clash in unexpected ways throughout.
The actors bring committed and clear performances to these characters. As clear as the text is, these characters would be blurred without each actor bringing their perspective to the space. Julia Thurston, holds the space brilliantly and does a great job of driving the play along. Kayla’s need to argue social justice at every corner, comes across in a different light as she stands as a white woman in front of two women of colour, almost disregarding their points at some moments. Juliana Galas is given a lot to play with and handles her character’s arch with delicacy and care. Olivia Cordell perfectly depicts Leslie’s vibrant whit. Her character’s views are extremely clear and Cordell backs Leslie with full commitment. Leslie doesn’t care what the other’s think of her, and Cordell doesn’t give the audience a chance to judge her. She commands the space and it is brilliant!
Penny Gkritzapi had a lot of fun with this production and didn’t hold back in exploring the themes it demanded. She has an eye for plays with tight stories which act as a vehicle to drive home discussions. I would encourage her to continue playing in these stories that take the stakes to the extreme as it left the audience with very clear discussions.
The play did slightly loiter as the circumstances got increasingly tense. I felt the characters were sitting in the impending doom on them, rather than solving the problems they are faced with. Tighter and more active dialogue and deliveries would have really matched the drama of the plot.
‘Fresh Mountain Air’ is playing until the 18th January at the Drayton Arms Theatre. It is fresh and bold, with strong legs for more life in the London theatre scene.
Reviewer: Alex Farrell