As the first scene came to a close, though, the penny dropped and I properly got what the show was doing. By the end, I was so invested I actually wanted to be involved in the play myself. The company pulled off a cracking production of Kae Tempest’s writing with serious flair. The story follows three best mates from school reuniting for a night out, forced to face up to how differently their lives have turned out from the big dream they once had.
Putting heavy spoken word on stage is always a risky business. If it does not land right, the whole thing can quickly feel a bit self-indulgent. I have to be honest, I was not completely sold at the very start; I spent most of that opening stretch just trying to get my head around the rhythm and the blunt, direct language.
John O’Neill’s direction gets right under your skin. Having a local Manchester spoken word artist open the space right before the main show starts is a brilliant touch too, warming up the room before the tone really kicks in. I was down near the front, which meant I was right next to the window with the Bonfire Night fireworks going off outside in the distance. A random banger rumbling through all of that added some extra, harder, more emotional grit, giving the confrontation scenes an extra layer of tension you could not plan for.
Liam Scholes (Ted), Mollie Winnard (Charlotte), and Milan Sangar (Danny) have you buying into their history straight away. What I loved was the way it tells the real truth about relationships. You get the classic boy-meets-girl set up between Dan and Charlotte, yet it is absolute fact that love is rarely a fairy tale. The awkward romance stings while also making you feel for them. We never meet Ted’s partner, yet she still feels completely present, a point where the writing is genuinely suffocating in the most enjoyable production way. It’s funny, sharp, and leaves plenty to think about way after the lights go down. Superb.
Canal street membership holders, get 15% off at the bar. See where else
by James
for Canal Street Media