Review: The River at Alma Tavern Theatre
Lost love and the desperate sense of a need to connect yet control. Are we are doomed to repeat our mistakes?
It’s always interesting to tune into the temperature and energy of an audience at the end of a show. Hear the opinions and discussion as people shuffle out. This is especially so for a play that is famed for its ambiguity.
There was plenty of discussion bubbling away following The River, which is at the Alma Tavern Theatre this week.
The general consensus was it that was “excellent”. “Intense,” was another word floating about. There was also discussion that the “intimate” nature of the theatre brought you “up close” and into the action.
The River was excellent. It was an intense and gripping piece of theatre that felt made for the Alma Tavern Theatre space.
Another feature of the production that caught the collective eye was the river itself. It really was a wow moment entering the auditorium to see a blue shining river flowing across the stage. It gently recedes to bring us into a fishing cabin where the story takes place.
Preset for The River at the Alma Tavern Theatre
A man has brought his girlfriend to an isolated family cabin near a river for a weekend of fishing. He has never brought anyone here before. She is the first. His uncle, he tells us, used to bring “fillies” to the cabin regularly. That, he assures The Woman, is not his style. But is that actually true?
As the story unfolds it does so in triplication. The developing relationship between The Man and The Woman, sees memories overlap. Secrets are uncovered and lies are revealed.
Photography: Jordan Davies
It is at times ominous and tense. Ciaran Corsar exudes charm and a playful sense of fun. Each time a new Woman enters, there is the joyful connection that comes in the early flush of love.
But trigger points switch the atmosphere to tense and menacing. It enhances the sense of remoteness and vulnerability for the women, four miles from the nearest train station.
A robin accidentally trapped in the cabin injures itself as it tries to make its escape. It’s happened before, The Man says. The robin metaphorically mirroring the women who ultimately make their escape.
Claire Bowman as The Woman, also humorously known as Splinter Girl or Table Mover, had a lovely laid back easy nature.
Susie Kimnell as The Other Woman brought with her themes of intensity, power and control.
Right from the start there is the moving of a table. It causes barely perceptible fractures in The Man’s facade but they are there.
The River starts with The Woman wanting The Man to come a look at the sunset, but he won’t. He’s seen it all before. There’s the sense of a repeating pattern. The Man is trying to replicate that one perfect love. It’s not entirely clear if each progressive relationship is foreshadowing or flashing back through memories. Ultimately, It doesn’t really matter because the outcome will always be the same.
There is further exploration of power through the discussions of fishing and killing fish.
Much of the description around fishing and nature is lyrical and poetic. That is until it comes to the descriptions of killing fish and how it feels to do so.
Ren Sinclair’s appearance as Another Woman feels like the story has both come full circle yet also moved further away. It’s impossible to decide if we are going forwards or backwards – though creative choices made by the director suggests we’ve moved backwards in time towards the beginning.
Alex Latham’s lighting bathes the stage in blue hues for watery scenes and warm tones inside the cabin.
Kris Williams’ nature soundscape seeps into the cabin. The far away hoot of an owl. The gradual intensity of the rain genuinely replicating rural life.
Ellian Showering’s music is haunting and ethereal.
The River is a gripping story. It’s well discussed for its ambiguity. Some think it’s a ghost story. Or a thriller about murder. Some feel it’s eerie and unfathomable. But broken down simply, it feels like a story of lost love and the desperate sense of a need to connect yet control. How we are doomed to repeat our mistakes as well as those in our family who have come before us.
The River is at the Alma Tavern Theatre from 18 – 22 November 2025
For more information or to book, visit: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/almatheatrecompany/1836887
Cast and Creatives
The Man – Ciaran Corsar
The Woman – Claire Bowman
The Other Woman – Susie Kimnell
Another Woman – Ren Sinclair
Writer – Jez Butterworth
Director – Janine Wunsche
Set Design – Janine Wunsche
Stage Manager and Set Assistant – Ren Sinclair
Sound Design – Kris Williams
Lighting Design – Alex Latham
Composer – Ellian Showering
Photography and Poster Design – Jordan Davies
Videographer – Harrison Thorne
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