Issy Cory
Two brothers are separated by prison walls, by their opposing beliefs, and by their willingness to confront the truths of their past. Put away for murder, Inside Brother’s penchant for white power alienates his younger, woker brother on the outside, but they have to try and overcome their differences to have any semblance of a relationship.
Over the next hour and twenty minutes, we join the brothers across the 26 years that we witness of Inside Brother’s incarceration. They meet in the visiting area of the prison, on both sides of a partition, on a video call, and out in the open when Inside Brother gets day release.
For Monaco and Stadnik, playing our two protagonists, this play is no mean feat. The space is sparse, featuring just two chairs, a table, and a handful of other props. The stage is theirs to take up, yet they have no problem filling it with their equally compelling stage presences.
Monaco is particularly spellbinding as Inside Brother; it seems that every line coming out of his mouth is fresh, as if it is the first time he’s spoken the words. Stadnik’s Outside Brother is the perfect tonic, starting out as a naive college student, and maturing into the opinionated, suit-donning man he’s always longed to be.
The energy between them is a cocktail of love, loyalty, fury, conflict, trauma, and connection. Navigating the opposing ideals of wokeness and white supremacy is a huge task, but these talented performers do it with the exact level of precision it requires.
Ari Laura Kreith’s blocking choices are so slick they are almost unnoticeable. A two-hander in such a vast space (for Fringe standards) could leave stones unturned, but there are clever creations of the brothers’ ‘rift’ in every scene: a constant reminder of the two sides to this story.
Gabriel Jason Dean’s script absolutely stuns. It is a brave move to put a character so overtly racist centre stage, and even braver to encourage the audience to sympathise with him. As spectators, we do. We see Inside Brother’s loneliness, his victimhood, his yearning for community which pushes him to something as dark as the ‘brotherhood’.
Rift raises an abundance of important, tangled-up questions about how far we will go to understand those we love. The tragedy of the brothers’ bond pushes forward into the very end of the play, leaving us heartbroken at the mess that has been left behind.
Recommended Drink: A tall glass of water to swallow Rift’s bitter pill.
You can catch Rift at Traverse 2 at Traverse Theatre from Aug 5-10, 12-17, 19-24 at Various Times. Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake Mace
Lamesha Ruddock
Jasmine Silk
