Stray Dogs review

It’s a carefully constructed allegorical drama, drawing heavily on themes of revolution, heredity and ritual. Jacob is willing to die for his convictions, but there is a delicate balance at work, and nothing will alter without more bloodshed. The strange foreign world that Chester has created feels politically pertinent, but it’s also flooded with religious imagery and motifs that lend his play an almost spiritual quality.

Fowler’s bold staging conveys all of Chester’s ideas succinctly and is sublimely theatrical, with a design by Anna Lewis that faintly resembles a chapel, a sword hanging like a crucifix. There’s deftly used gore, but Jacob’s description of his torture methods has even greater impact. And Fowler draws some excellent and occasionally enigmatic performances from his small cast, whose members together create a focused cross-section of the city.

Graham Butler carefully exposes each side of Jacob’s character, from contemplative, caring healer to startlingly vicious torturer. He’s supported by an excellent Abbey Gillett as a practical yet aspirational Hilde. The play might be philosophical in style, but it’s far from academic – Chester never loses sight of either his characters’ journey or his audience’s thirst for drama.