FIRST NIGHT | THEATRE

Ages of the Moon review — the mysteries of male friendship revealed

The Vaults, SE1
Christopher Fairbank and Joseph Marcell (top) in Sam Shepard’s two-hander
Christopher Fairbank and Joseph Marcell (top) in Sam Shepard’s two-hander
MARK SENIOR

Puzzles

Challenge yourself with today’s puzzles.

Puzzle thumbnail

Crossword

Puzzle thumbnail

Polygon

Puzzle thumbnail

Sudoku

★★★★☆
They sit on a battered old porch on a hot night and talk about old times. Occasionally, they just sip their bourbon and stare into the darkness. There is going to be an eclipse in the early hours, and they hope to see it.

Sam Shepard’s late-period two-hander (first performed in 2009 and here receiving its UK premiere) isn’t much more than a fragment — it lasts little more than an hour, and feels as if it ought to be part of a double bill. The piece ends on a faintly sentimental note too. Even so, with its tinge of wry humour, it has plenty to say about the mysteries of male friendship.

Ames and Byron, beautifully played by Christopher Fairbank and Joseph Marcell