THEATRE REVIEW: Crime Of The Century - Chickenshed Theatre, London.

Streamed online via Chickenshed Theatre's Youtube channel, this is a fifty minute rollercoaster ride to the other side of the street. 

Created in response to a number of fatal stabbings which affected staff, students and members of Chickenshed over the last decade or so, this is the filmed version of their 2009 cast on their stage. The production was so devised (written and directed by David Carey and Christine Niering), that it was able to, and did successfully, tour senior schools and youth centres too, and uses an 10 strong ensemble cast.

There's no real storyline as such, at least not in the conventional sense; its more of a montage taking mostly the youths own perspectives on their lives and how knife crime has had and continues to have devestating effects on their community. Dressed almost identically in the "trademark" clothing of baseball cap, hoodie and tracksuit bottoms, the predominently black cast look every bit as threatening and dangerous as any real crime gang out there. 

But it isn't just that; this is a much more thoughtful and intelligent production than that. The company uses voice-overs throughout, most of which are spoken by MPs or the white middle / upper-class who offer their perspectives as a point of contrast to the youths from poor and broken families, council estates, and troubled backgrounds. They don't seem to offer any solutions, nor do they really sympathise, they just report on the situation opining who they believe to be responsible and how they contribute to the already fraught situation. There is one very telling voice, coming perhaps half-way through "We want to help them as children, but as soon as they start to grow up, we turn our backs on them and forget about them".

It is a hard-hitting piece of community / TIE theatre written by and for the younger generation and in this respect, the piece is very loud and pulsating; the whole throbs almost continually with loud contemporary music befitting the scenario; rap, hip-hop, etc - an incessant pounding, driving the piece until the music and the piece are inseparable. Contemporary choreography forms much of the piece and their movements and physical theatre skills  - elements which I have seen used in all of Chickenshed's productions - are always excellently realised; truthful and poignant.

Certainly it is a piece of devised theatre which is full of ideas, raw energy, anger, and much can be taken from it for further discussion, hopefully sparking further knowledge, dialogues, and indeed change. 

Reviewer - Alastair Zyggu

on - 28/11/20