Published by Nick Hern Books
BU21 by Stuart Slade is the touchingly topical story of six people of all different backgrounds and ways of life and how a single tragic event on Friday the 22nd July 2016 brought them all together. In writing BU21 (which is also the name of the airliner that is shot down over the dystopian London of the coming year), Slade brilliantly illustrates how catastrophically terrorism is affecting the world we live in and how, no matter who you are; it can be utterly life changing, creating a sense of the world’s unity against these acts and those that orchestrate them, that echoes with the audience, tearing down preconceived prejudice.
The six ethnically and socially varied characters all have equal roles in composing the details of the event and its consequences. Slade has effectively used their differences to represent different groups of people and to emphasise the affect the event has, across the globe.
Thalissa, the open and independent character that we are first introduced to sets the scene and introduces the perspective of someone who wasn’t directly involved with the tragedy but lost a loved one because of it. The heartrending story of Thalissa’s Mother instantly produces sympathy with the audience and is excellent at initially portraying the seriousness of the event.
Secondly, the grotesque introduction to Ana will instantly open the audience’s eyes to the calamitous danger that terrorism entails. The poignant reference to Micky Mouse (her towel in particular), representing her life before her suffering, is ultimately distressing and accentuates the unpredictably of life, an idea that is revisited by Clive’s character at the end.
The sentimental but guarded character of Floss shows how distressing any involvement in a terrorist attack can be and how she was deeply affected by the event despite being physically unharmed and not loosing any family members. Her situation exemplifies the psychological affect that witnesses the consequence of an attack can, reverberating deep within the audience how life-changing terrorism is.
Graham’s ethnocentric and heated character is first rate in showing how terrorism can reinforce unfair prejudice on a particular race. Something that is increasingly witnessed in the present day due to a bad name being given to the Islamic state due to terrorist groups like ‘ISIS’. We see the other side of this prejudice in the character of Clive, the youngest and most spiritual of the characters, when he speaks of his experience at school, suffering with racist bullies. Despite his sarcastic tone, is very aware of the seriousness of prejudice and strives to change people’s preconceptions.
Finally, Alex’s sarcastic and crude character is possibly one of the most affected by the incident, certainly much more than he lets on. His rudeness and openly sexual thoughts are quite possibly a veneer for him to hide his true feelings and we hear of this insensitive exterior disintegrating but never see it ourselves. His character is a fantastic example of the methods that people use in order to cope with pain and suffering.
Conclusively, BU21 is a fantastically crafted play that successfully brings six different people together through the tragically gripping and unpredictable tale of a terrorist attack. Bringing to light our own problems in society and allowing us to acknowledge these and decide whether or not to make an active change to our lives. Even the setting itself, being so close to home, accentuates the tragedy of the event and leaving the idea of the fragility of life resonating deep within the audience.
Review by Joseph Bird, Y12 pupil, Norton Knatchbull School, Kent