Review: Killology, Royal Court

"You can’t tell your mum the streets are full of psychos and it’s pure fluke you get home alive every night"

Strewth - Gary Owen's Killology is a challenging watch - both structurally in its non-linear format and emotionally in its subject matter. Killology is a new gaming experience in which you score more points for the more 'creative' ways in which you torture and kill people and Owen's play looks at the consequences of its success on Paul, who made it, and on father and son Alan and Davey.

As in his previous play here Violence and Son, Owen is very much concerned with father and son relationships and the way in which they are revealed and reshaped here is one of the more fascinating aspects of Killology. The relationships and inter-relationships between these men and unseen others in their lives are richly drawn and deeply moving as layer upon layer of guilt and revenge play out.

It's a difficult play to say much about that doesn't spoil or under-represent Rachel O'Riordan's production, it's one to be experienced for yourself. To be unnerved by Sam Jones' sound design, to be drawn into Gary McCann's set, to be mesmerised by Richard Mylan's emotionally stunted Paul, Seán Gleeson's vengeful father, Sion Daniel Young's searching Davey.

Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes (with interval)
Booking until 24th June

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