Simon Ward reviews Port City Signature at the Hope Theatre

Written and co-directed (with Phoebe Rowell John) by Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller, this is a modern riff on a film noir setup – a passing stranger gets embroiled in local skullduggery with tragic consequences. The set (designed by Hannah Williams with lighting by Sameer Aggarwal) is a brilliant evocation of an old-fashioned seaside pub. We are not explicitly told when it is set, but the one means of communication with the outside world is a vintage payphone on the wall, so probably the 1950s or 60s. And, indeed, it does feel strangely cut off from the rest of the world – the sea on one side, the city on the other – the infrequent, and potentially unreliable, train is the only escape.

The setting feels decidedly English – the drink is Port City Signature IPA on draught – but there is also a flavour of the Wild West in the air. The Regular (Paddy Echlin), for example, is reading a cowboy paperback while he drinks. The OK Corral comes up in conversation more than once. There is a hint of the hooker with a heart of gold about the Lady (Katherine Lea). And the character everyone is waiting for is known as Sheriff (David Carter). Into this strange atmosphere stumbles the Newcomer (Meg Clarke), nervous and ill-at-ease after a mix-up with trains. Before long she is more intimately involved with all of them than she could possibly have imagined.

As the Regular, Paddy Echlin has a fine line in spinning a yarn to make the most outrageous demands seem perfectly reasonable. Katherine Lea’s Lady is full of nervous energy, and a certain sisterly warmth towards Meg Clarke’s Newcomer. Clarke herself takes us on a roller-coaster ride of a journey from initial hesitancy to a kind of femme fatale. When David Carter as the Sheriff finally shows up, he fills the stage with physical menace, not least because of the outsized gun strapped to his waist. So there is a chill in the air, but also dark comedy – the Regular has a certain deadpan dry wit. As the action moves to its climax there is a sense of scores being settled, and hearts racing facer than they may ever have done before.

There is a rather strange coda, where we return to the scene some years later. I suppose the idea was to get a bit more insight into the characters’ otherwise murky motivations and another glimpse into the strange off-kilter world of Port City where actions do not always have the consequences that you might expect. But I am not convinced it worked within the overall shape of the play. This is an unusual genre for a fringe show and the setup is otherwise skilfully done. It has the some of the feel of a thriller but perhaps it is more successful as the darkest of comedies.

Port City Signature is running at the Hope Theatre, 207 Upper Street, London N1 1RL until Monday 14th October