 |
| Pic: Tommy Ga Ken Wan |
Davey Anderson's The Static is a Scottish element of the 2013 Celtic Festival, currently being hosted at Mold's Clwyd Theatr Cymru, and although it will mainly appeal to teenage audiences, it will also strike a chord with practically anybody who's ever been a teenager.
Sparky is a volatile but bright 15-year-old on the brink of permanent exclusion from his school. Then one day he falls under the spell of a seemingly psychic girl called Siouxsie and develops his own kinetic superpower.
This might all sound like a theatrical version of Channel 4's Misfits, but what it's really about is the turbulence of being a hormonal teenager. It transpires that Sparky and Siouxsie's kinetic powers (all they need do is think something, and it happens) only thrive between the moment their puberty begins, and the moment they lose their VL (virgin lips).
The Static is about the all-consuming explosiveness, confusion and turmoil of puberty and adolescence, that feeling we all remember in our teenage years when we discover some of life's most beautiful and devastating facts for the very first time - sexual attraction, love, lust and those ever-present feelings of hatred and fear.
The kinetic theme of the piece is translated cleverly through drama and contemporary dance, music and energetic scene-changing. All the cast has is a table, some school lockers and a couple of props, but that is all they need to communicate the turmoil of what goes on inside a teenager's body and mind.
Brian Vernel is bursting with energy as Sparky, twitching and leaping his way through the 90 minutes like someone with St Vitus' Dance. He is suitably threatening and frustrating in the early scenes, but becomes more likeable and sympathetic as the play develops. Sparky is the everyman figure for every disruptive, mixed-up teenager you've ever known.
Samantha Foley's Siouxsie is a layered foil for Sparky, supplying both a grounding and a depth for the play. There's more to Siouxsie than meets the eye, and Foley more than matches the subtle demands of the role.
As Mrs Kelly and Mr Murphy, Julie Wilson Nimmo and Nick Rhys get across the vulnerabilities involved in being a schoolteacher in the 21st century, particularly the fear of what an adult wound up by constant goading and taunting from a "pack of animals" might do to a child.
Mrs Kelly left teaching when she felt she could no longer control her violent reactions to her trying pupils. Her move into behavioural studies seems fitting, while Mr Murphy has personal struggles of his own which have subtle effects on other characters.
The physicality of the play is one of its most powerful elements - the strong physical presence of Nick Rhys allows plenty of movement around the set, sliding and twirling and lifting and brawling, coupled with the lightness of touch of the others. Mrs Kelly's martial arts lesson is a particular joy.
As an addendum to the play's evening performances, Samanatha Foley returns for a 15-minute dance piece with Jonnie Riordan entitled Boy Magnet, which perfectly complements the play with its theme of magnetism and attraction. The performance is told using clever light projection and throbbing club music and demonstrates what talent there is out there among our youth theatre groups.
The stats
The Static
Writer: Davey Anderson
Director and choreographer: Neil Bettles
Cast: Sam Foley (Siouxsie); Nick Rhys (Mr Murphy); Brian Vernel (Sparky); Julie Wilson-Nimmo (Mrs Kelly)
Boy Magnet
Directors: Neil Bettles and Jonnie Riordan
Performer: Samantha Foley and Jonnie Riordan
Performed at Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, May 21 to June 1, 2013 (by ThickSkin Theatre Company, as part of the Celtic Festival). Performance reviewed: May 22, 2013
Links
The Static & Boy Magnet on Clwyd Theatr Cymru website (retrieved Jan 13, 2015)
The Static on ThickSkin Theatre website (retrieved Jan 13, 2015)
Jonnie Riordan website (retrieved Jan 13, 2015)
Four promotional videos for The Static (retrieved Jan 13, 2015)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Did you see the show too? I'd love to hear your feedback!