These youngsters who are clearly ambitious and have some ability are attempting to run before they can walk. What they need is precisely what they have rejected: some constraints and a director.
NM Generation is a student-run company which started “when Luke Nixon and James Mudge decided that they wanted to write their own plays and break away from the usual constraints of the theatre; being constantly directed by somebody else.” They bill themselves as “one of the youngest theatre companies at the Fringe,” although given the number of school groups around they must be one among many and are actually aged 16-18.
The show is peppered with the interspersed mystery of the vicar’s son, extended to the point where it ceases to be interesting. The ongoing saga of the loathsome couple’s wedding plans has a similar effect.
The portrayal of the characters resorts to stereotypes, whether it be the vicar, the Hooray Henrys, the village locals or the members of the armed forces. The pace is slow and the plot is tedious and drawn-out, and just when you think it is all over, there is an epilogue which the play could do without.
Naturalism is not easy, especially for young and inexperienced actors, and experience is exactly what this cast does not have. This is a very poor choice of genre given the ages of the adults they play. These youngsters who are clearly ambitious and have some ability are attempting to run before they can walk. What they need is precisely what they have rejected: some constraints and a director.
