Clutch – Bush Theatre, London

A review of Clutch, a pithy new play by Will Jackson at the Bush Theatre. A simple presence is a vehicle (pun intended) to a story of connection and acceptance.

Clutch

This is a story about driving lessons. Max is the self-appointed Best Driving Instructor in Birmingham. He’s never had a student who didn’t pass first time. Well, left-handed ones don’t count of course. Tyler sees a driver’s licence as the key to unlocking the next stage of his life: moving out of his mum’s place, getting a job that will take him somewhere. They seem an unlikely pair when they meet.

But this is the brilliance of Will Jackson’s premise. Driving lessons are a leveler which bring together people from different walks of life who would never normally spend time together and put them into a confined space for long periods while under pressure. What better location to set a pithy one-hour play?

Over the course of this hour, Tyler and Max learn about each other. Max, although he may not always get it quite right, accepts Tyler as a gay trans man. He actually manages to weave it into his driving instruction through a very funny analogy. Tyler comes to learn more about the painful history that has coloured Max’s family and other relationships. It’s not all smooth sailing (could it ever be with driving lessons?) but it’s a really lovely, genuine connection between the two men.

How Do You Stage A Play That Takes Place In A Car?

It’s actually relatively straightforward, as it turns out. Georgia Wilmot’s set (which reuses elements I last saw in Invisible, top sustainability marks!) is very simple. Two car seats and a gearstick stand in for the car. There are smart choices about creating an immersive environment: minimal miming of the doors and mirrors that aren’t there, but car sounds to continually put us back in the world of the story. The reused backdrop, which was so effective at creating different settings in Invisible, does great work again. Clutch allows the characters to develop through dialogue rather than explanatory introductory scenes, and so quick changes of lighting (Laura Howard) move the action briskly along.

I found Clutch very moving. It’s a good reminder that acceptance doesn’t look like always having the right answer. And sometimes it comes from a very personal motivation. But if a bold, brash ex-cabbie and an anxious would-be roadie can understand each other despite their differences, then that’s really a rather nice thing indeed. Bella Kear’s sound design includes the music ‘on the radio’ in Max’s car, and is brilliantly selected to underscore the emotional buildup of Jackson’s script.

The Bush’s Studio space is a great incubator for new and interesting work from a wide range of artists and viewpoints. I love a punchy work you can see in an hour or so (well done to director Philip J Morris for keeping the pacing tight). And the generally small cast sizes really show off what the actors can do. Here Geoffrey Aymer (who we last saw in Jitney) plays a complex character well, making us root for a second chance in a number of ways. And Charlie Kafflyn manages an impressive professional stage debut. Over the course of the hour we build a picture of his Tyler’s frustrations, hopes, joys and insecurities, making it all the more cathartic as the two men bridge the gaps in understanding and experience between them.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 4/5

Clutch on until 8 October 2022