R.O.I. Return On Investment

At the Hampstead Theatre, Return on Investment is a sharp, unsettling and thoroughly gripping new play by Aaron Loeb. As an American businessman/writer he has created a work that hooks with intrigue and wry humour, before tightening its grip, steering the audience into far darker, more thought-provoking territory.

The writing is impressive in its tone, drawing us into a world of manipulated capitalism where the sudden possibility of a medical breakthrough, that could eliminate killer illnesses, proves a once in a lifetime opportunity to make billions. It cleverly takes two venture capitalists at different ends of the scale. Paul (Lloyd Owen), the already high-flying head of a high-risk, high-reward investment fund, and his younger, eager protégé May (Millicent Wong) hungry to make her own ‘legend’. And pits them united but only to the point where their individual wants take over. The promise of a groundbreaking ‘cure’ revealed by Willa (Letty Thomas) sits at the centre. But what is so rewarding is that this play is less interested in the science, and more in the moral cost. Particularly when financial gain outweighs human consequence. The question of who profits, and who ultimately loses, lingers long after the curtain falls.

The performances are uniformly excellent. Letty Thomas is mesmerising as Willa, charting a subtle but deeply unnerving transformation, reminiscent of ‘All About Eve’. She begins with an almost fragile intensity, then gradually reveals a steely, dangerous conviction that becomes the emotional engine of the piece. Millicent Wong is equally compelling, bringing razor-sharp precision to May. Her performance capture ambition and calculation with such clarity, while allowing flickers of doubt to surface at just the right moments. Lloyd Owen rounds out this ‘triangle’ with a commanding presence, grounding the production in a recognisable corporate reality. His shift from measured authority to moral compromise is handled with impressive restraint. Together with Sarah Lam as Old Woman who sets the scene then commands the denouement, this is a cast of such high calibre.

This bold intelligent production is superbly held by Chelsea Walker’s direction. It is provocative without ever being heavy-handed making it disturbingly close to home. A fiercely engaging production that is a must-see.


Photo credit: Marc Brenner