REVIEW: Late Night Submarine - Listening to Theatre

©️Photo by Alyssa Tianai Zhou

What happens when the theatre asks you to stop watching and start listening? Directed by Yaqi Sun, Late Night Submarine strips away much of what is traditionally expected in theatre from stage design, props, bright lighting, and replaces them with headphones, sound, and a body.

The soundscape, designed with care, provides the production’s most memorable moments. Fragments such as the tinny instructions of school eye exercises, corner-shop jingles, or muffled family arguments are instantly recognisable and layered into an evocative sonic collage. These details succeed in creating portals into memory and everyday life. Yet, the reliance on recognition risks lapsing into nostalgia, leaving some sections feeling illustrative rather than transformative.

At the centre is performer Ali Yuraw, whose presence is physical rather than verbal. Their movements are restrained yet charged, glimpsed only intermittently. Ali functions as both anchor and shadow, grounding the audience in corporeality while the bulk of the piece unfolds through sound. However, this limited visual presence may also frustrate those expecting a stronger dramaturgical integration of body and sound.

Producer Zoe Yingying Xie describes the work as “minimal by design, but still immersive and emotionally rich”. This ethos is evident, but minimalism here cuts both ways. While the stripped-back staging allows space for association, it occasionally sacrifices theatrical dynamism, raising the question of whether the piece functions more as an auditory installation than as live theatre.

Ultimately, Late Night Submarine distinguishes itself through gentleness. It resists spectacle and avoids imposing fixed meaning, instead offering fragments and resonances that accumulate into a dreamlike impression. Whether this restraint is a strength or a limitation will depend on the viewer: some may find its quiet intimacy powerful, others may leave craving a sharper dramatic arc.

★★★★

For more information, please visit: https://camdenfringe.com/events/late-night-submarine/

Credits

Director & Sound Design: Yaqi Sun
Producer & Tech: Zoe Yingying Xie
Performer: Ali Yuraw (Yuan-Ling, Chen)