Playfight is a visceral, fast-moving production from Theatre Uncut, that relentlessly demands your attention from the first moment to the last.
It is the innate chemistry and comic timing between the three that has the audience hold their breath.
It is performed in Summerhall’s Roundabout arena in the round, a slick choice. The set consists mainly of a ladder, representing a tree, perhaps the only constant in the lives of our three protagonists.
The play charts the adolescent development of three friends. They are at first glance ordinary teenagers, with aspirations, hang-ups and desires commensurate with their ages. Amongst others, they are interested in sex, alcohol, clubs, drugs, grades and money. Yet there is daily mundanity to their lives.
While close-knit friends, the three are quite different. Keira (Sophie Cox) is in a hurry to grow up and sample all of the nectar available to adults. Zainab (the excellent Nina Cassells) is ambitious, aspires to university and has sexual feelings that are likely to cause conflict within her family. Lucy (Lucy Mangan), while a churchgoer, is often surprisingly candid.
Keira is clearly damaged; the bravado masks her hurt from her abusive and unsettling domestic situation. She has a side hustle selling photos of herself over the internet, saving for a getaway.
As they move into adulthood, Lucy becomes sexually active, There are portents as to dark developments to unfold. Zainab wants Lucy to come to university with her, but will she leave her boyfriend behind?
The script is sharply observed. Teenage girls with limited filter, embellishing truths to impress. In fact, at times your sensory perception reels with the bombardment of dialogue.
The staging is clever – the pink ladder serving as a tree and a focal point in their lives. At times, as the trio pace the round, it feels like they are caged tigers sizing each other up for combat. But then when they had moments of stillness, stood in a triangle, it brought to mind the witches in Macbeth. Props come and go: items of clothing, books, phones are strewn by the tree, as if somehow representing the trio casting off their adolescence.
All three performances are fine and nuanced, with developing relationships always intriguing. There is much to admire in Julia Grogan’s script, with prescient commentary on a very current theme, rapid-fire dialogue and innovative direction (Emma Callendar). However, it is the innate chemistry and comic timing between the three that has the audience hold their breath. A very fine production.
