BASHMENT. To 18 June.
London
BASHMENT
by Rikki Beadle-Blair
Theatre Royal Stratford East To 18 June 2005
Tue-Sat 7.30pm Mat 18 June 3pm
Audio-described/BSL Signed/Post-show discussion 9 June
Runs 2hr 40min One interval
TICKETS: 020 8534 0310
www.stratfordeast.com
Review: Timothy Ramsden 28 May
Yes, there are faults, but who else is addressing this play's prime audience?In his play Incident at Vichy Arthur Miller ponders how the Gestapo could listen to classical German music before arresting the players, there's such a disparity between the worlds of Beethoven and Nazism. Rikki Beadle-Blair doesn't do much pondering in his play about Bashment music, but he drives home the gap between its seductively compulsive dance rhythms and often homophobic lyrics.
His play goes further, into the clash of the isms. Racism, sexism, homophobia (an -ism' in all but name) can place an individual on different sides of the perpetrator/victim line. Nathan Clough's attack-mode MC KKK speaks up for Black people by trying to intimidate filling-station cashier Karisma, and leads a happy-slap beating of White gay Olly. It says a lot for Clough that he makes KKK's slow, unwilling softening to Karisma convincing. He's helped by Jennifer Daley's fine, steady performance, rebounding his insults with smart, quietly assertive sarcasm.
Then there are the White kids wanting to be in on Black street-culture, speaking the patois. These include Olly and his musician-lover JJ; also White Fang, one of the homophobic gang who set on Olly - Joe Marshall sulphurous; bright enough to play any system and angry enough to go for self-mutilation in doing it.
This play explores in detail a youth culture most political theatre rarely acknowledges. But it's structurally ramshackle and stylistically confused. Some scenes strike home; Karisma's prison visits to KKK, for example, beautifully played by both actors. There are exciting, high-energy music scenes too. But some laugh points, like having just about everyone reveal a gay, or feminine, side, merely undermine the play's strengths.
Directing his own script, Beadle-Blair's in need of a guiding dramaturgical hand. Brain-damaged Olly's sudden lucidity at a key moment would be striking if the idea hadn't already been used; an anti-homophobe demo crops up late on then fizzles out. Every time there's a point to make an extra scene's added, lamely over-extending the action without developing character. There again, a Saturday night Stratford crowd rose cheering to the occasion, so something's going right.
JJ: Joel Dommett
Orlando: Anthony Newell
MC Eggy: Jason Steed
White Fang: Joe Marshall
DJ Venom: Ludvig Bonin
MC KKK: Nathan Clough
Karisma: Jennifer Daley
Sam: Arnie Hewitt
Daniel: Luke Toulson
Kevan: Duncan MacInnes
The Music: Joni Levinson
Director/Music: Rikki Beadle-Blair
Designer/Lighting: Giuseppe di Iorio
Sound: Gareth Owen
Costume: Fola Solanke
Graffiti Art: John Gordon
Assssistant director/Voice coach: Amsalan Doraisingam
2005-05-31 00:04:08