“Unsettingly compelling performances confront our relationship with true crime obsession”
Everyone’s a bit obsessed with true crime, aren’t they? Morris (played by Filippo Brozzo) arranges a prison interview with an unnamed serial killer (played by Zak Rosen). Over the course of four interviews for his audio podcast, an unsettling wave of mania forces these two characters to confront each other and their emotions into a dramatic crescendo.
The staging is simple- a table in the middle of the room flanked by a chair on either side. This never changes. It is established at the very beginning there are four cameras observing the interview room the killer is held in, starting off in a straightjacket staring the audience down with a creepy smile whilst disembodied audio plays in the background. It’s a compelling opener, if clichéd.
The killer is responsible for the murder of five of his male lovers by strangulation. Morris intends to dig deeper into why he did it, what it felt like, and what his deepest fantasy is. Trouble is, the killer outwits him at every turn. The killer places Morris on the backfoot, being completely in control of the conversation, interrupting with sarcastic asides, knowing glances, introspection he feels Morris is slacking in extracting from him. Rosen’s ability to play a narcissist charmer is very believable, his expressions natural yet unnerving. Brozzo’s Morris remains naïve, easily manipulated and incredulously simple as a character. Interesting topics are touched on, including society’s prevalence to focus on the killer not his victims as people with background and personalities too. Crime as entertainment is explored too, as is our ability to reduce horrific personal tragedy to clickbait and trivialize atrocity into an evening’s amusement.
Over the course of the interviews it is revealed to the killer that Morris is having personal issues at home as his obsession for the killer grows. Morris tells the killer he wants to be with him and truly understand his deepest fantasy. At the final interview, Morris attends wearing a suit and black leather gloves, climactically removing one before making a bombshell confession. The killer finally admits this is his deepest fantasy all along and he convinces Morris to upload his confession to the podcast, becoming a convicted criminal so he can finally be with his muse.
Unfortunately this is an inconclusive ending raising more questions than it answers for Lilwen Faulkner’s script. Are there not four cameras watching this confession? Why is there no guard in the room with them? Why is Morris allowed to remove the killer’s straitjacket? Why is he so obsessed with this man after four sessions, enough to make him commit crime? There are too many inconsistencies that distract from the ability to suspend belief for the story. It would be more intriguing if for example Morris retracts his confession and states he merely wanted the extract the fantasy from the killer- his simping was all an act- what a twist! What if Morris as a character has genuine criminal tendencies this whole time and that’s why he has the podcast- he interviews serial killers, waiting for that one person who can push him over the edge into committing crime, finding a kindred spirit with a fellow sociopath. There are many more interesting motivations and climaxes that this one-hour show could expand on. As it stands, disturbingly convincing performances cannot save a rushed, unresearched script.
Five runs at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre, London until 16th May 2026.