This autobiographical account tells the story of the Irish playwright and poet Brendan Behans true-life arrest at the age of sixteen when he was caught in Liverpool carrying explosives to blow up the Camell Laird Shipyard for the IRA. He subsequently spent three years in Walton Jail, Liverpool and Hollsley Bay Borstal.
It will come as little surprise that this is basically a depiction of brutality and degradation, as the system fails to do little or nothing to help the young inmates, how some of them are broken by it, others, like Behan himself, learning something from the experience (he was hated by both the guards and most of the inmates because of his crime) but retaining and honing a true sense of self.
What is surprising is the sheer physical energy of the production. The stage at Augustines is not that big, particularly in depth, but at one point there are thirty seven actors on it! Naked!! And then they all get dressed in front of us!!! The slickness of the scene changes, effected by moving several long benches around to create cells, benches, prison vans etc is breathtaking and David Johnsons direction very assured. The choreographed violence is very disturbing, and I fret that maybe it isnt as safe as it should be for the performers two of them were sporting bandages the night I saw it.
Much of the acting is excellent, and Steven Stuart as Behan grows in stature from angry, gauche teenager, through stuttering incompetence to hard-nosed self-confidence as the piece progresses. There is good support from the cast, especially Jim Oates as Charlie, though some of the dialogue is too quiet or incoherent.
My main problem with the piece is the structure. There is a certain repetitiveness about the violence, and sexual abuse and general level of aggression that almost numbs one to its impact. Its also very episodic, and trying to keep a handle on who some of the characters are gets tricky, especially when the location shifts from Walton to Hollsley. Its historical fact that the authorities really didnt know how to handle Behans obstinate refusal to buckle to the regime, and kept him in solitary for much of the time. Unfortunatley that means we lose track of him as a character for quite a lot of the last third of the play, until he is released and deported back to Ireland.
A flawed play, then, about a remarkable man, and a truly remarkable production, unlike anything else to be seen in Edinburgh this year.
