Simon Stephen’s Mancunian classroom drama, ‘Punk Rock’, is a heavy undertaking for any theatre company, demonstrating a myriad of serious themes. Being familiar with the production, I was really looking forward to seeing how these topics were tackled and watching the all-important relationship dynamics unfold between central characters; in particular Lilly (Verity Flynn-Williams) and William (Chris Woods). Director, Emily Voss-Bevan did well to not shy away from these topics, and instead, the actors drew the audience into raw moments of the teenage psyche.
The show could have benefited from an increased pace, with some actors forgetting lines and over-acting through flirtation, leaving some long and awkward gaps in the earlier scenes. However, this seemed to dissolve as the show went on and can likely be put down to first night jitters. This cast was cohesive, playing off each other and all reacting when present on stage. This is something crucial in a performance that has extensive group scenes, where only one or two characters take the majority of dialogue.
The character of Lilly is pivotal to the development of relationships between characters. Flynn-Williams’ performance was understated, and the relationship between Lilly and William had lovely moments, such as when they reminisce about Stockport. However, crucial points, such as when Lilly slaps William, or when she practices self-harm, were ineffective and lost in conversation, resulting in a lack of authenticity.
Alternately, the character work of Tanya (Charlotte MccLintock) was fabulous, as she brought great energy whenever she was on stage. In earlier scenes of the play, she had great comedic timing balanced with touching moments. This was particularly enjoyable when she discussed motherhood with the other girls, or when she aggressively ate toast in the opening minutes. Other prominent performances stemmed from the relationship between Chadwick (Joel Conlon) and Bennett (Josh Bratherton), who portrayed the increasingly claustrophobic environment of the school exceedingly well. There were electric moments between the two, especially in a scene where Chadwick is forced to wear lipstick by Bennett; a moment that made me want to jump on stage and intervene.
The highlight of the show came through the extensive monologue given by Woods at the end of the play, when speaking to Dr Harvey (Patrick Cerra). Although this scene was lengthy, Woods maintained my attention throughout. His ability to draw the audience in and his continuity of character were extremely impressive, and definitely something to be proud of. There were moments of light and shade that were crucial in showing the complete loss of rational thought William has. My only criticism of Woods’ performance is that the unravelling of William’s mind should have developed slower throughout the play. Instead, it seemed to switch quite abruptly, leaving those unfamiliar with the play potentially slightly confused at why William is suddenly extremely distressed.
The set and costumes were basic, but fit with the piece, as it does not ask for an overly busy layout. Voss-Bevan did well to ensure the action was not lost behind the tables, taking care that the characters used the entirety of the stage and space. On the other hand, the props were inconsistent; the fake blood in the shooting scene was a good idea, however, came out bright pink, which sadly took attention away from the all-important action. Additionally, when William gave Lilly a gift of a CD, this was clearly blank, so it felt slightly lazy that this hadn’t been modified. Nonetheless, these are all things that could be easily amended for subsequent performances. The lighting and sound ran smoothly, and the atmosphere created when William switches off the lights in a moment between himself and Lilly was particularly haunting. The actors brought these moments to life through voice work. However, when this scene ended, the audience had already been watching in the dark, so it was important that the acting carried on until actors were offstage, instead of when the scene ended, as it quickly dissolved the well-built tension.
Overall, for an amateur student production it ticked numerous boxes, with small opening night hiccups that can be easily fixed. I would recommend going to give this show a watch, as it confidently tackles huge topics with moments of brilliance.
Reviewer – Anna Chambers
on - 7/2/19
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