Having been a school pupil not entirely dissimilar to the mint green four walls of the detention room, it was with a dry, wry smile that I entered the theatre on North Bridge.
A band of teenagers are locked in a classroom by their teacher as a result of their bad behaviour. Yep! Sounds pretty familiar. That is the basic plot of Bassett and, with experience on my side, I was pretty clued up as to what was to unfold from here.
Shouting. Rubber throwing. Even a good fight, if you’re lucky…but it didn’t quite work out that way. One added dimension to the play is that they all want out to attend the return of a dead soldier. One they claim to know, admire or even have befriended.
Rage bubbles over at their predicament as attention is turned to religion, identity, sexuality and politics, fuelling the fire on a confused and powerless youth.
The play is trying its best to be a force for good here and in some minor ways it has succeeded, but you do get the impression that it has been written by an angry sociology student. It can come across as pretty didactic at times and selective in the information it chooses to present. If not selective then certainly opting to be simplistic and failing to examine a larger and more complex picture.
The conversations these young adults have are unbelievable, as is there apparent lack of knowledge (it is stated that they know nothing of the First World War. Is that really a reflection of today’s youth?) The best of the dialogue can be found in their juvenile humour, which is frequently funny and well performed.
In fact, the performances on the whole are generally serviceable from the young cast who bounce off each other with apparent ease. Even at the ending, which is laughably overblown and ridiculous, their energy lends the experience some well needed credibility.
If you know nothing about anything you may take something from this piece. But if you know anything about anything, it’ll just come across as what it really is: not a lot.
Runs til 10 August, 3.05pm