Traverse
Theatre, Edinburgh
Four
stars
This
is very definitely the modern world in Douglas Maxwell’s of-the-moment new
play, which brings the desperation of a broken Britain close to home. Eve
Nicol’s punchy production does this by way of a cross-generational
confrontation between a pop culture academic who’s lost his mojo and an asylum
seeker in mod’s clothing possessing the hyped-up zeal of a convert.
Nebli
Basani is Jimmy, who has bought into what he sees as the quintessential British
lifestyle statement. His mohair suit, pork pie hat and parka may be box-fresh,
but the ideas that sired them are as second-hand as his name. This is something
Paul McCole’s Stevie is only too glad to tell Jimmy when he turns up at his
front door looking for a signature, both for Stevie’s largely forgotten book on
mod culture, and for the substantive statement that will give Jimmy access all
areas to Britain. A rude awakening
awaits them both, alas, as the auto-destructive energy that fires them erupts
into a turbo-charged culture clash that calls the authenticity of both into
question.
There
is fun to be had at the start of the play when Jimmy lollops into view on Jen
McGinley’s living room set, with Basani lending him a manic edge,
motor-mouthed, pop-eyed and totally wired. As Stevie, McCole presents an
equally tragi-comic foil, who is jolted into getting back to his own roots. Beyond
the initial comic value of the set-up, ideas of identity, belonging and everyday
tribalism are laid bare throughout the play’s 75-minute short, sharp shock.
With
the action punctuated by Michael John McCarthy’s meaty, beaty, big and bouncy
sound design, there is a ballsiness at play that recalls the sort of
street-smart work that infiltrated the stage back in the 1970s, reinvented as a
play very much for today. By the end, both men may still be here, but keeping
the faith is another thing in a show that’s explosively on target.
The Herald, December 12th 2019
ends
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