⭐⭐⭐ (Three Stars)

Samuel D. Hunter’s Clarkston, directed by Jack Serio, feels far more like an indie film than a typical West End production: smaller-scale, quietly emotional, and gently paced rather than gripping or full of spectacle. It’s not the most inventive or dramatic of plots, but it’s pleasant, stylishly staged, and showcases three strong performances that make it an easy watch, even if it doesn’t leave much of a lasting impression.

The play introduces us to Jake (played by Joe Locke), a young man on a personal mission to reach the Pacific Ocean. This is something of a bucket-list activity for Jake as we soon learn that he has been diagnosed with Juvenile Huntington’s Disease, a degenerative condition that will severely limit his lifespan and mobility in the near future. En route west from his home in liberal Connecticut, he stops off in the small town of Clarkston, drawn there by a tenuous ancestral link to William Clark (of the explorers Lewis and Clark), where he takes a night shift job stacking shelves alongside Chris (played by Ruaridh Mollica).

Chris, a Clarkston local with dreams of moving away for grad school and ambitions of becoming a writer, finds in Jake the first person to truly validate and encourage his aspirations. Their slow-burn relationship and the endearing attraction that develops between them becomes the emotional centre of the play. Meanwhile, Chris’ strained relationship with his mother (played by Sophie Melville), who’s trying to reconcile with him after years of drug addiction, adds an extra layer of conflict and heartbreak to the story.

Milla Clarke’s set design is minimal, with the stage mostly bare apart from a large shelving unit that gradually fills with boxes as the play goes on. Audience members are seated on the other two sides of the stage in place of any further scenery, though it’s not entirely clear why (other than to offer fans the chance to see the show’s celebrity star up close). Fortunately, where the set is sparse, the technical design shines. Stacey Derosier’s lighting does a lot of the heavy lifting, from warm yellow tones that evoke the supermarket warehouse’s artificial glow to the cool wash of bright light at the play’s end when Jake and Chris finally see the Pacific Ocean for the first time. George Dennis’ sound design, too, is subtle but effective, in providing a soundscape to the storytelling.

Ultimately, Clarkston is a well-performed and attractively staged piece that wears its sincerity on its sleeve. It’s tender and nicely observed, but it never quite builds to anything more profound.

Clarkston runs at Trafalgar Theatre until 22nd November 2025.

Tickets Available Here