Vincent River (play)

Vincent River
Original languageEnglish
Written byPhilip Ridley
CharactersAnita (female)
Davey (male)
SubjectHate crime: homophobia
Setting"A run-down flat in Dagenham, East London"
Premiere
Date6 September 2000
PlaceHampstead Theatre, London

Vincent River is a one act stage play by Philip Ridley. It was Ridley's fourth stage play and premiered at the Hampstead Theatre, London on 6 September 2000.[1] The production was the last major collaboration between Ridley and director Mathew Lloyd, who had previously directed the majority of Ridley's other theatrical works.[2][3]

Plot

The story plays out in realtime and is set in a rundown flat in Dagenham.

A woman called Anita is moving in following the death of Vincent, her son who was killed in a homophobic attack, which resulted in her discovering that he was a homosexual.

In the play, she interacts with Davey, a boy who claims to have been the first to find Vincent's corpse and who wants to know as much as he can about Vincent from Anita.

Notable stage productions

CountryDateLocationPeopleDetails
England6 September 2000The Hampstead Theatre, LondonDirected by Matthew Lloyd. World premiere
Slovenia26 October 2007SKUC Theatre, LjubljanaDirected by Alen Jelen.
  • Anita - Zvezdana Mlakar
  • Davey - Jure Henigman
 Slovenian premiere
England30 October 2007Trafalgar Studios, LondonDirected by Rebecca McCuheon. West End premiere[4][5][6]
America10 June 200859E59 Theaters, New YorkDirected by Steve Marmion. American premiere

Performed as part of the Brits Off-Broadway festival.[8][9]

Australia4 January 2009Tamarama Rock Surfers, Bondi BeachDirected by Jonathan Wald. Australian premiere[10]
England18 May 2010Landor Theatre, LondonPresented by Thomas Hopkins and Theatrica Ltd.

Directed by Robert McWhir.

 "10th anniversary production" (2010 London revival)[11][12]
England2 November 2010Old Red Lion Theatre, LondonPresented by Charmers productions.

Directed by Gary Reid.

  • Anita - Debra C.Barker
  • Davey - Frank Keogh
 2010 London revival (2nd London revival of 2010)[13][14]
  • Shortlisted for the 2011 London Festival Fringe Best Play Award.[15]
Israel7 August 2015Tahel Theatre Israeli premiere[16]
England27 February 2018The Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester.Directed by John Young.
  • Anita - Joyce Branagh
  • Davey - Dominic Holmes
 England "regional premiere" (Manchester 2018)
England20 March 2018The Park Theatre, London.Directed by Robert Chevara. 2018 London revival[17]
  • Louise Jameson received the 2019 Offie for 'Best Female Performance In A Play'.[18]
Wales19 September 2018A site-specific production at Jacob's Market, CardiffProduced by No Boundaries Theatre.

Directed by Luke Hereford.

  • Anita - Victoria Pugh
  • Davey - Aly Cruickshank
 2018 Cardiff production
America 28 November 2018 The Crane Theater Studio, Minneapolis, MN Produced by Arrow Theater.

Directed by Grant Sorenson

  • Anita - Laura Esping
  • Davey - Cole Seager
 First US non-festival production.
Australia13 October 2020Christ Church, Milton, BrisbaneProduced by The Curators' Theatre

Directed by Michael Beh

  • Anita - Amanda McErlean
  • Davey - Patrick Shearer
 Queensland premiere
  • Major revival[19]
  • 5-star reviews
America 22 September 2021 Richard Triangle Players, Virginia. Produced by Richmond Triangle Players

Directed by Vinnie Gozalez

  • Anita - Jill Bari Steinberg
  • Davey - Keaton Hillman
 Virginia, USA premiere
Belgium 20 October 2021 The Bridge Theatre, Burssels Produced by the Bridge Theatre, Brussels.

Directed by Robert Chevara

  • Anita - Jo Castledon
  • Davey - Jake McDaid
 2021 Belgium premiere[20]
England 14 October 2022 Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester Produced by Green Carnation

Directed by Dan Ellis and Dan Jarvis

  • Anita - Maddy Myles
  • Davey - Rory McMenamin
 Manchester revival 2022[21]
England 23 June 2023 Greenwich Theatre, London Produced by the Greenwich Theatre

Directed by James Haddrell

  • Anita - Kerrie Taylor
  • Davey - Brandon Kimarya
 2023 London Revival[22]

On film

In 2005 Marianne Epin and Cyrille Thouvenin starred in the play at the Théâtre du Marais in Paris, which was also filmed and released as a television movie. It is available on region 2 DVD.

The play has been compared to the 2014 film Lilting, starring Ben Whishaw, Cheng Pei Pei and Andrew Leung and written and directed by Hong Khaou. The story, similar to the play, is about a man who approaches the mother of his deceased gay lover to try and connect and understand their loss.

References

  1. ↑ "Vincent River". Bloomsbury. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  2. ↑ "CV of director Matthew Lloyd" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 September 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
  3. ↑ "Review of Vincent River". www.cix.co.uk. Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  4. ↑ "Webpage of the 2007 production of Vincent River on the Trafalgar Studios website". Archived from the original on 21 October 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  5. ↑ "Vincent River, Trafalgar Studios, London". Independent.co.uk. 8 November 2007. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "Scrap-heap drama is a clapped-out old banger". 8 November 2007. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
  7. ↑ "Vincent River". www.backstage.com. 15 June 2008. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  8. ↑ Hetrick, Adam (16 May 2008). "Findlay and Field Will Star in Vincent River for Brits Off-Broadway". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  9. ↑ Stasio, Marilyn (18 June 2008). "Vincent River". Variety. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  10. ↑ "Vincent River". www.australianstage.com.au. 9 January 2009. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  11. ↑ "Former 'EastEnders' Duffett and Jordan Star in VINCENT RIVER, 5/18 - 6/5". Broadway World. 27 April 2010. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  12. ↑ "Vincent River Landor Theatre from 18 May 2010". Londontheatre.co.uk. 27 April 2010. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
  13. ↑ "Webpage of the 2010 production of Vincent River on the Old Red Lion website". Archived from the original on 13 November 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  14. ↑ Lovett, Jonathan (5 November 2010). "Vincent River review at Old Red Lion London". The Stage. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  15. ↑ "Webpage of the 2011 London Festival Fringe Award on the London Festival Fringe website". Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  16. ↑ "וינסנט ריבר לראשונה בישראל בתיאטרון תהל". www.wherevent.com. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  17. ↑ "Park Theatre". parktheatre.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 February 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  18. ↑ Wood, Alex (3 February 2019). "Off-West End Awards 2019 winners announced". WhatsOnStage. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2019.
  19. ↑ "Web page of the Curators' Theatre production of Vincent River". Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2023.
  20. ↑ Brussels, The Bridge Theatre. "The Bridge Theatre, Brussels". The Bridge Theatre, Brussels. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
  21. ↑ "Review: VINCENT RIVER, Green Carnation - Hope Mill Theatre". West End Best Friend. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  22. ↑ "Greenwich Theatre: Vincent River - Live entertainment in Greenwich, Greenwich". Visit Greenwich. Retrieved 8 July 2025.

Further reading

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