 | "A superbly dark, taught thriller" by Deborah Klayman for remotegoat on 16/04/10 |  |
We initially meet Devlin, Terry, Mikey and Joe as they plan to have 'one last adventure' before retiring from a run of violence and petty crime. Devlin, the leader, maintains control through threats and his volatile temper, and unable to say no to him the others are drawn into a plan to rob a local pub. However, the seemingly simple plot turns into a nightmare as events spiral out of control and Devlin refuses to let the adventure end.
With the air of a true psychopath, Jack Ashton's Devlin is terrifying and compelling in equal measure. Both the audience and other characters believe he is capable of anything, and of the four lads seems to be the one with absolutely nothing to lose and little to look forward to other than a life of violence and crime. Mikey and Joe are brothers from the same rough part of town as Dev, and initially seem to be nothing more than brainless thugs. Terry, on the other hand, is an educated boy whose family had money before the recession hit, but lacks the guts and willpower to stand up to Devlin and extricate himself from the dire situation he finds himself in.
Despite appearances to the contrary, Mikey actually turns out to be the most interesting and rounded character in the piece, with Russell Simpson giving an outstanding performance as a young man trying to change his life and achieve more for himself. The scenes between Mikey and Terry (Drew Webb) were the most interesting and touching moments in the play, and you found yourself rooting for them in spite of their past behaviour. Each of the boys had a compelling back story, with emotionally absent or violent fathers, tragic mothers, and an overwhelming sense that little was expected of or for them other than propping up a bar and living hand to mouth.
In addition to these four central charcters, the six-strong cast also includes veteran actor Richard Hawley as pub owner Prentice Black and Joe Sims as the mentally challenged Gasgoine. Although Hawley plays the role brilliantly, and is superbly cast, his inability to sustain the Irish accent is incredibly distracting and diminishes the tension and power in many of the scenes. The character of Gasgoine seems to be entirely plot-functional, and therefore has little back story or development besides the fact that he is 'retarded', and left little for Sims to do other than grin inanely
With the underlying themes so current, the reasons behind the behaviour of the young men central to the play are painfully familiar to a contemporary audience, and we both disapprove of their conduct and sympathise with their feelings of hopelessness. Black represents a window to the wider world, and the evening the men spend together has a unique impact on each, making for a fascinating piece of theatre.
| Event Venues & Times | |
| finished | Tristan Bates Theatre | 1a Tower St, London, WC2H 9NP |
Other recent reviews by Deborah Klayman
