Review by Kate Gaul
Chalkline Theatre Company present this tight three hander by Sam Edmunds. It’s noisy, boisterous, political, charming and very human. Set in the early part of this century this is a coming of age play mainly about two unnamed 16-year-old lads in Luton. It charts the events of preparing for a house party, the purchase of appropriate alcohol, dressing right, the flirtations and the aftermath of a nasty night.
Olatunji Ayofe and Elan Butler play the best mates and are joined by Amaia Naima Aguinaga in a range of supporting characters. They are all excellent actors and have energy to burn. If there is one criticism of the production, it is that it is very shouty and as the words echo off the hard walls of the Demonstration Room it is very hard for the text to be entirely legible. Even harder when audiences are encountering the accent for the first time as well. It takes around 30 minutes to attune the ears and that is a shame because the language is rich and exciting.
The set consists of a couple of boxes that slide around the floor and a larger box that has doors and cupboards from which things appear. Constantly moving these elements adds to the energy of the piece and the cast are forever popping up and over the levels. It is all very colourful and has a kind of cartoon choreography. The directing and movement is super tight and lighting and sound support each choice in order to amplify the action. But it’s not all one note. It surprises when, at the heart of the party scene, a flirtatious encounter between two characters leads to a first kiss and is represented by the pair touching palms. It is perfect and a restrained moment of tenderness before the play’s violence erupts.
The play’s political and social commentary is embedded in the dialogue between the boys who make observations about the townsfolk – debt changes the way people carry themselves and how can they ever be free of the just getting by? Life can change on the spin of a dime, and we encounter three tough, vulnerable young people. Our main narrator played by Olatunji Ayofe lives with his single mum, a nurse who works nights, and he has ambitions to go to university and give her a better life. There is no future in Luton. The odds are stacked against these kids but it is clear the playwright loves his subjects and imbues the play with a heartfelt hope.
Along the way we even learn a little of the history of Luton as a hat making town and the origins of its unique accent.
“The Chaos That Has Been and Will No Doubt Return” is a favourite with younger audiences and those who can identify with the characters and audiences who love crafted language and sassy dialogue in a play that has something to say. A good night in the theatre!
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