Lyndon Chapman’s debut play directed by Will Armstrong, Is The Wifi Good in Hell? is an evocative coming of age play where identity and environmental displacement collide.
An evocative coming of age play where identity and environmental displacement collide.
Dev is from Margate. We meet him at twelve years old wearing a wolf hat and telling us about his chaotic escapades with his best friend Ange in an abandoned shack on the seafront. Set to an atmospheric and effective soundscape by Damian Pace, we, like Dev, feel fully integrated in the environment. 00s school-ground shenanigans are the centre of Dev’s world and, like many children, is where he discovers what ‘gay’ means. This mysterious and confusing label tossed around by his peers becomes the source of both confusion and alienation. University is the first time a man has looked Dev in the eye and made him feel seen. With his newfound ability to assimilate with the ‘lads’, he develops a chameleon-like capacity to adapt his voice and mannerisms for different crowds. Navigating the new world of brotherly, platonic love and heteronormative masculinity triggers visions of a seaweed-covered monster that follows him, lurking in the corner of his eye. After London life brings nothing but trauma, his return to the gentrified Margate only furthers Dev’s feeling of displacement, rejection and isolation. This is a story with heart, insight and creative flair.
With an acute attention to detail, there are many magnificent moments in the play that make for gripping storytelling. In particular, Chapman’s touching exploration of male platonic love, coercion and being left behind provide imaginative and nuanced creative choices that demonstrate the uniqueness of his written voice. Despite the fact that this is his debut, it is already clear that Chapman is a highly accomplished and skilled writer.
Though Chapman’s ingenuity as a writer is undeniable, it is a great shame that the performance does not live up to his written talents. He portrays Dev as a quirky, slightly unsettling and manic character with sharp inhalations of breath before each line and an eerie crooked smile. What results is a character that, despite the vulnerability of the text, departs from authenticity and leans into exaggerated display. This is something that Armstrong and Chapman could work on together to discover a more authentic version of Dev’s voice.
Is The Wifi Good in Hell? is worth a watch for the poignant storyline and written work. Though the performance doesn’t feel quite right, it has a lot of passion.
