Synopsis

South London, the present 

Charles, a tough, disillusioned bar owner, is plunged into a vortex of urban alienation following the sudden death of his wife. Haunted by adulterous dreams and a past that offers no solace, Charles’s attempts to assuage his private demons lead him into increasingly desperate circumstances. Encountering Lucy, a capricious and damaged woman seeking refuge as a barmaid in his failing bar, Charles is drawn into a downward spiral of complicity and moral decay. When Lucy murders her abusive former boyfriend in a fit of rage, Charles finds himself complicit in the crime, burying the body and drifting into a dangerous liaison with Lucy.

Pale Horse by Joe Penhall is a potent blend of black comedy and bleak tragedy, exploring themes of grief, urban alienation, and self-destruction. The play’s tone is raw and intense, capturing the disintegration of its protagonist through a series of vividly depicted scenes. Ian Rickson’s production masterfully evokes the seedy atmospheres of Charles’s world, from the slumped line-up of after-hours drinkers to the grim pragmatism of a seaside boarding house