The Void

★★★☆☆     Atmospheric

Traverse Theatre: Tues 6 – Wed 7 Oct 2026
Review by Hugh Simpson

The Void, at the Traverse for three performances, is an intriguing if not entirely successful production from Yorkshire-based Thunder Road in association with the Watford Palace Theatre.

A suitably moody and intermittently scary piece of science fiction horror, it is impressively but not always coherently presented.

Alex Moran in The Void. Pic: Marc Brenner.

In 2160, the Earth has been destroyed, and a corporation rules the lives of the remaining humans. Flint (Alex Moran), a space ranger alone in his ship near Saturn, docks with another craft named the Odyssey, whose crew have apparently all died in mysterious circumstances.

Only Blair, a mysterious doctor (played by writer-director Ryan Simons) remains alive. Along with the omnipresent AI of NOVA (voiced impeccably by Olwen May). And Flint has a strange feeling it is all very familiar…

Science fiction horror is common enough in the cinema, but rarely appears on stage, and Thunder Road should be congratulated for the sheer chutzpah involved in putting this on, even if it doesn’t all come off. As the plot synopsis suggests, the recipe here is a ladleful of Event Horizon (and its distinguished ancestor Solaris), but there is also a dash of the Alien franchise, more than a spoonful of 2001 and huge lashings of The Woman in Black in its stage version.

well considered and atmospheric

Caitlin Mawhinney’s design is first-rate, with the exploded-diagram version of a scuzzy space vehicle particularly impressive for a comparatively low-budget show appearing at various venues for a couple of nights at most. The sound design of Nick Sagar, the original compositions of Ben Parsons and the lighting design of Andrew Crofts are well considered and atmospheric.

Alex Moran and Ryan Simons in The Void. Pic: Marc Brenner.

There are jump-scares provided by sudden loud noises and flashing lights, but the shocking moments are hearteningly often supplied by good old-fashioned stagecraft, and by tremendous illusions courtesy of Fine Entertainment Ltd.

The production does, however, lean greatly into the cinematic end of things. There are large numbers of filmed inserts, which are cleverly presented but the disconnect between them and the onstage action is distractingly distancing. The performers appearing on screen (Riana Duce, Terence Rae and Emma Leah Golding) are convincing, but the shots of spacecraft are less so.

The storyline does not always persuade either. After concentrating successfully on creating an atmosphere of secrecy and dread for most of the play, not enough time is spent on filling in the required backstory or making the audience truly care about the characters. The plot then becomes far too complex for the remaining running time, with the eventual explanations coming in something of a rush and the ending proving unsatisfactory.

declamatory

The acting of the two principal performers is also problematic at times. They are largely credible, with Simons impressing as the mysterious Blair, but Moran is occasionally rather stiff, with an accent that has some wobbles. Both, moreover, occasionally veer into an over-assertive, declamatory style, as if the best way to get away with lines such as ‘there is a ghost in the machine’ or ‘whatever is down there, turn your back on it, it is not your friend’ is to deliver them as portentously as possible and at high volume.

It is a shame that the production is let down by some of its elements, as much of it is very good indeed, and companies should not be unduly criticised for having a reach that exceeds their grasp.

Running time: One hour and 50 minutes (including one interval).
Traverse Theatre (Trav 1), 10 Cambridge St, EH1 2ED.
Tuesday 6 – Wednesday 7 October 2026.
Evenings: 7.30pm, Wed mat: 2.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.

Thunder Road website: www.thunderroadtheatre.org
Facebook: @thunderroadtheatre
Instagram: @thunderroadtheatre

Alex Moran in The Void. Pic: Marc Brenner.

ENDS

Tags: Alex Moran, Andrew Crofts, Ben Parsons, Caitlin Mawhinney, Emma Leah Golding, Fine Entertainment Ltd, Hugh Simpson, Nick Sagar, Olwen May, Review, Riana Duce, Ryan Simons, Terence Rae, The Void, Theatre, Thunder Road, Traverse