THE STRAITS 000
A rock and a hard crew
The first thing we hear in Gregory Burke's follow-up to Gagarin Way is an account of the death of Nelson. And in Gibraltar of the Falklands war, there's no escaping militarism, be it through the emblems of empire or the pirated copies of Rambo that circulate among the island‘s teenagers. One of these, Darren (Calum Callaghan), is a recent arrival on the rock, a boy with a past of being a victim. He teams up with Doink (James Marchant) a local psycho to be, and Jock (Stephen Wight) a gentler boy, with similar military ambitions to Doink. Darren‘s sister Tracy (Jenny Platt) makes up a quartet whose sexual, physical and social power struggles against a backdrop of hostility from the local Gibraltarians are the focus of the play.
There isn't the high-octane humour of Burke's first play here, but the interactions between the four young people, climaxing with seduction and confrontation, are compelling. John Tiffany‘s production for Paines Plough brings good performances from the actors, particularly Callaghan‘s vulnerable boy who needs to belong, and if Neil Warmington‘s set looks a little awkward, it does at least make an interesting final metaphor. But whether the bigger political motifs fully translate from the human drama is questionable. All the same, there are some very strong moments. (Steve Cramer)
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THE UST FEST'VAL GUIDE 71