Night City at Southwark Playhouse
⭐⭐⭐
Max Wilkinson's Night City is an ambitious, fast-moving exploration of London's gig economy, following three people struggling to survive in a city where employment is increasingly precarious and those doing the essential work can often seem the most disposable.
At the centre are Jack Ambrose as ride-share driver Jack, and Bex Smith as waitress and aspiring writer Tia. Both are excellent, delivering assured, emotionally grounded performances while effortlessly switching between numerous supporting characters. Ambrose in particular brings tremendous energy and physical commitment to the production, while Smith's powerful monologue recounting the events of one fateful night provides one of the evening's most affecting moments.
Helena Pipe, as carer Tamara and several other characters, is less consistent. While clearly a capable performer, some of her characterisations lack the precision of her fellow actors. One accent in particular seems to drift between London and Jamaican, making it initially difficult to determine whether we are meeting a new character at all, while other vocal distinctions feel comparatively slight.
Rose Ryan's excellent movement direction is integral to the production. The three actors weave, run and almost collide through Olivia Jamieson's striking set of suspended chains, creating a restless physical energy entirely appropriate to a city and workforce that seemingly never stop. The staging is inventive throughout, although the technical elements occasionally overwhelm it: the soundtrack can become unnecessarily loud and some lighting effects are so intense that they draw attention away from the performers rather than enhancing them.
The writing is strongest when focused on the human consequences of insecure work and the relationships between its characters. It becomes less convincing when attempting to pull its various strands together, particularly towards the end.
Most problematic is Jack's apparent recovery following the devastating events on the Old Kent Road. Coming after Tia's extraordinarily powerful declaration that "on that night three people died", his subsequent reappearance dramatically undermines what has preceded it. What should leave the audience reeling instead becomes an oddly convenient resolution, diminishing both the credibility and emotional impact of the story.
Nevertheless, Night City is bold, energetic and visually inventive, powered by two particularly impressive central performances and exceptional movement work. Its ambitions sometimes exceed its execution, but there is enough here to make for an engaging and thought-provoking evening.
Venue: Southwark Playhouse Borough, The Little, 77–85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD.
Dates: 10 September to 3 October 2026
Performances are generally at 7.30pm Monday to Saturday, with 3pm matinees on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Running Time: 1 hour 25 minutes, no interval.
Tickets: From £22 standard, £18 concessions
Book Tickets: Southwark Playhouse – Night City
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