One of those plays that timehops back and forth, the story begins where it ends – two men have a slightly awkward encounter at an airport, and with travel plans afoot, the conversation is truncated by the need to do what people do at airports: catch a flight. The devil is in the detail, however, and a dramatisation of everything that happened to build up to this supposedly superficial and brief catchup takes up pretty much the rest of the show’s running time.
Multiple characters are voiced and embodied by the same actor, Aaron Rooney, in what becomes a wide-ranging storyline. At first, the two central characters are so distinct I wondered if the whole play was going to come across as contrived: one schoolboy is so shy and withdrawn he hides in the conveniences, and the other is so gregarious he insists on keeping a conversation going even after the first boy has made it clear he’d rather be by himself for a bit.
There were so many twists and turns in what followed that I couldn’t have reasonably predicted the end from the beginning. Rooney’s performance was full of seemingly boundless energy, taking on both parts in a playfight, and capturing a wide range of human emotions over the course of a longitudinal story, told in one act. There are two sides to every story, and Logan Jones’ writing captures each very well, to the point where contradictory statements from both boys leave the audience not entirely sure who to believe.
It’s a performance that needs to be seen to be believed, drawing out complex nuances in practically every chapter of the story. Both boys had their childhood challenges, thanks to family lives with their complications – the sorts of things familiar to many, such as relationship breakdowns and the balancing act between work and parenting. Dressed somewhat unremarkably in T-shirt and shorts, Rooney switches between roles and decades very easily. An impassioned and engaging production with plenty of food for thought.
Review by Chris Omaweng
Age charts the relationship between two boys over 24 years, from the blooming of their friendship as innocent eight-year-olds, through the teenage betrayal that tears them apart, to the chance reunion at a busy airport as grown men where the prospect of forgiveness, reconciliation and healing the wounds of the past feels tantalisingly within reach.
Told by a single performer, perspectives and memories blur in this timely and bold story of intimacy, trust and kinship as these men navigate growing up, growing apart and reaching out for connection.
Performer – Aaron Rooney
Writer – Logan Jones
Director – Ella McKeown
Lighting Design – Marie Colahan
Movement Direction – Rohan Dhupar
AGE
Riverside Studios
31 July and 1 August 2026
