Set in a dystopian future where foetuses are harvested for their organs and boys dress like off-casts from a poorly funded production of ‘Oliver!,Broken, which displays some half decent writing for such a young company, runs through all the heavy, grown-up themes that crop up in the world of teenage theatre. There’s loads of sex and fighting and Byronic drama and swearing and it-girls and then there’s a rape and a suicide and some overly emotional songs and more Byronic drama and some poorly considered moments of physical theatre and so on and so on and so on.
Some people may find the direction scatter-shot, the themes explored massively varied and the narrative cringe-worthy and weak and by the standards of actual ‘grown-up’ theatre it almost certainly is all of those things. But this young cast have made a play for young people. During the show I chuckled at the predictable plot turns, two dimensional characters and varied acting abilities on display. I then looked at the seat next to me and saw my 14 year old self completely enthralled by the dense narrative, relatable characters and Brando-esque performances.
This show, by its own merits, is a worthy and brave first few steps into the world of theatre by this young company. By all other standards, it’s absolute tosh.