Class Enemy

by Nigel Williams

Burton Taylor Theatre

From the second you walk into this play you're walloped by acting which, it has to be said, is pretty bloody good. The performances are almost uniformly faultless in a play that could potentially have a lot of faults. For starters, the premiss looks unpromisingly tame: a comic-drama based around a misbehaving class of boys (yawn). But, as it turns out, this is a very far cry from Just William.

Managing to convincingly pass themselves off as 16 year olds without falling into naff cliché or looking like uni-students-playing-school-kids, we're presented with the bad-ass class of 5K ('K' for variously crude and misspelt words) who have just done in their latest sub and are currently twiddling their thumbs in restless, edgy boredom. This is disaffected urban youth in inner-city London and, as the superb cast quickly convey, it ain't no bed of roses. Events unfold as 'Iron' (Rob Crumpton) slowly turns the screws, ups the ante, and just generally infuses the situation with a Machiavellian malignancy.

In a style akin to Darth Vadar's "look, no hands" method of torturing hapless no-do-gooders, Iron attempts to make his 'mates' (cue sarcasm) writhe by forcing each to give a five minute 'lesson', in the name of passing the time. At this point you can almost see the heading in William's script: 'useful plot device for revealing the characters' dysfunctional life stories' and the artificiality of the concept jars with what has so far been an adroitly realistic set-up. To the credit of the cast, and actually, William's redemptive scripting, the play manages to get away with it, due to the fact that what emerges is surprisingly original and yet rings true. As the story progresses via the poignant detail revealed in these 'lessons' the tension mounts as finally only Skylight and Iron are yet to deliver theirs. The two are a nice opposition, with Skylight's solidly cut-the-crap presence being the only match for Iron's disturbing mix of charisma, intelligence and cruelty (powerfully conveyed by Crompton if occassionally just a fraction theatrical).

At Skylight's 'lesson' however, things get a little wobbly. If, when he inadvertently reveals his Dad is blind, the script veers up onto schmaltzy sidewalk, it collides with the literary gauche equivalent of a power pole when he reveals that his Mum is ALSO blind but - get this - THEY LOVE EACH OTHER ANYWAY. Fortunately Williams scripts these revelations with a deft and almost saving grace (he needs to) aided by a consumate performance by Joe Hervey. The play moves towards its climax as Iron closes in on his rival, using the information to provoke Skylight into a violent confrontation.

This is a fine piece of theatre. The directing is assured, it's frequently very funny and it reaches out and pulls you in. Catch it if you can.

Monica Pausina