A warning about the brooding threat of fascism – with songs.
Chav! It’s a Musical Innit
(2007)
Crowded Logic Theatre Company
Smirnoff Underbelly, 2-26 August (not 13) 23:00 (1hr)
Edinburgh show titles are fascinating. Someone really should do a survey on the demographic attending particular types of plays. I was the oldest person at this late night performance by quite a long way, which I think is part due to the clever name of the show. Even more interesting, this being a late Saturday night in Edinburgh, was the slightly raucous atmosphere in what was a packed house. Wise, chin-stoking folk are always talking about how we must attract more young and working class people to theatre, and this show has certainly done that.
What that audience gets in this new piece devised by Crowded Logic is a very entertaining look at the lives of three teenagers from a no-hope, dead-end housing estate in Debden, Essex. Dan (Darren Godbold) is going out with Destinaay (Kate Padbury) who is the daughter of local BNP councillor Ian (Jason Blackwater). When Destinaay’s friend Precious (Cecile Davis), who has designs on Dan’s body, lets slip that Destinaay is pregnant it seems Ian might seriously hurt the young man. Instead he offers him a job. Under normal circumstances this would be a fantastic break for no-hoper Dan, except the job involves distributing leaflets for the BNP.
All the performances are strong, as is the singing, though most of the songs (by Glen Keiles and The Cast), didn’t build enough for me. The simple staging using a single revolving piece of set is very effective too, and there are some genuinely laugh out-loud moments. “I’ll suck your cock right now” must be the most original cue for a ballad I’ve ever heard, and when Destinaay discovers she’s pregnant her initial response is “I’ll have to go on Tricia to sort all this out”.
My only problem with the piece is that it is trying to be too many things. In the program the characters are described as larger than life, which is great for the comedy, but in the end you don’t really care enough about them, and young Dan’s journey though the dark side of fascism to ultimate redemption seems too easy. The show's message, that if we ignore the plight of the neglected white youth of our inner cities then we are driving them into the hands of the BNP, is a strong one but ultimately one that you can’t do justice to in under an hour.
That said, I think anyone (not affiliated to the BNP) would enjoy this show, so get to the Underbelly, though perhaps you might try to have less to drink before hand than the girl in front of me who had to stagger out on her heels clasping her hand to her mouth. Life mirroring art. I hope she wasn’t a critic.
[Robin T. Barton]
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