‘A compelling tale of adolescent cruelty…’ is how Dennis Kelly’s play was described on our brief. My 15-year-old daughter and I speculated on the content as we drove to the Rose Theatre in Kingston. Neither of us had heard of the play, but we were intrigued.
The opening scene was dramatic, loud and, for me, slightly confusing. Two teenagers (Mark and Jan) enter, halfway through a conversation, yelling and speaking so quickly and interrupting each other. What the hell is going on? I couldn’t keep up. The next scene is a slower pace but still compelling. Phil sits calmly and carefully peels an orange while his girlfriend, Leah, asks him what he is thinking. He says nothing all the way through her monologue, and you are lead to believe that Phil is passive, quiet and innocuous. The story unpeels, like Phil’s orange, very carefully, and I feel my stomach fall as the horror is revealed.
The pace alternates between manic and calm. Characters are clearly defined – Phil (James Alexandrou) is so passive at first he becomes a very convincing monster; Leah, (Leah Brotherhead) is irritating and endearing, poetical and philosophical but Brian, played by Daniel Francis-Swaby brilliantly conveyed his confusion and fear.
Harriet says: ‘The simplicity of the staging allowed the story line and the actors to shine. The play made me feel good about myself as a teenager, that my own group of friends were not that awful. It highlighted bullying within friendship groups but we don’t recognise the bullying – we see it as just having a laugh. The acting was inspirational.’
DNA is a Hull Truck Theatre production and was directed by Anthony Banks. It continues on tour until May 25th. For details see www.dnatour.co.uk.
Image: Simon Annand
