Clarkston review: Joe Locke's journey to the West End has been long-deserved
Joe Locke and Ruaridh Mollica are enchanting in this soulful exploration of young adulthood.
Joe Locke’s West End debut is a soulful look into the lives of two starry-eyed young men which wends its way between utterly charming and horribly sobering like the real-life river it’s set on.
Taking place in the small-town streets of the American West – which all good TV tells us is a claustrophobic place – this play ups the ante by restricting its scenes to just a Costco warehouse and its parking lot (ahem, car park).
Just a stones throw away is the Snake River, which famed US travellers Lewis and Clark perilously journeyed in the early 19th century, Clarkston focuses on ebbs and flows of a young relationship between Jake (Locke) and Chris (Ruaridh Mollica).
While Jake is grappling with the existential fallout of a life-altering diagnosis, Chris struggles with the pressures of being closeted and living low-contact from his meth-addicted mother (Sophie Melville).
Together, the pair wade through deep emotional waters, rapidly covering themes of addiction, disability, class, and of course, how on earth you find any sort of meaning in your 20s. Samuel D Hunter’s script does the fine job of packing in wave after wave of poignancy while also managing to feel like a slow burn. It’s also worth noting how many genuine laughs you’ll have in between the heavier moments.
All three leads are simply excellent. After Heartstopper and Agatha All Along we know Joe Locke can embody the complex teen searching for solace, but this character comes with an extra layer of discomfort as we see ease and entitlement meet the harsh realities of terminal illness.
Meanwhile, Sophie Melville does a magnificent job of juggling with your feelings, appearing callously manipulative and yet completely sympathetic at the same time – in short, a balanced, very human portrayal of what addiction can do.
For me however, Mollica's Chris was the absolute standout. Both hardened by his past and yet still extremely vulnerable to it, his traumas and quiet determination viscerally poured off the stage leaving you quite breathless at points.
At the moment all the tensions of Chris’s life reach a crescendo, the show employs a clever yellow light technique that makes everything under it appear in black and white –literally sapping the colour out of his existence.
It’s heart-breaking and neatly ironic as, while the setting is thrown into sharp black and white, the feelings and situation are anything but.
Buy Clarkston tickets at LOVETheatre
When and where can I see Joe Locke in Clarkston?
Clarkston will run until 22nd November 2025 at the Trafalgar Theatre.
To get to the Trafalgar Theatre, your best bet would be to head to Charing Cross on the Bakerloo or Northern lines, or by Southeastern Rail.
How to get Clarkston tickets to see Joe Locke live
Tickets went on sale in July, with good availability left.
You can buy your seat via LOVETheatre or the brand new RadioTimes Theatre Pass.
Buy Clarkston tickets at LOVETheatre
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