Edinburgh University Theatre Company’s rendition of Road is an ambitious undertaking, that bravely attempts to capture all the gritty, raunchy realism of Jim Cartwright’s 1980s masterpiece. EUTC dive into the deep end, and emerge with a spirited performance that contains both depth and humour.
EUTC dive into the deep end and emerge with a spirited performance
The play begins with an imaginative pre-show performance, that immerses us from the moment the ensemble enters the Bedlam Theatre gates. From school girls asking how to play hop-scotch outside, to some drunkenly rowdy bar customers, the cast fully embody their vibrant characters. The sell-out show meant the small-theatre was overly crowded, and the this opening equated more to hearing some drunken shouting in the distance or being jostled past in the queue for the loos.
The impressive work done by the large set crew, led by Lucie Benninghaus and Louis Taylor, featured a semi-circular seating arrangement opening up to an impactful scaffolding set, which managed to include a bedroom, a living room complete with cut-out mirror and television, a long strip of tarmac road and a whole house visible through a window. Cleverly reflecting the plays central themes, in which a wayward vagrant called Scullery acts as a tour-guide taking us through a night in the life of a working-class Lancashire Street, the stage perfectly presents the overlap of inside and outside spaces.
Noah Sarvesvaran makes a strong, entrancing Scullery, whose movement embodies his restless energy. Ava Vaccari’s performance as Molly, a sweet, but slightly crazed old lady, whose monologue was full of humour and lightness, despite its slightly heavy undertones. The rest of the cast delivered energetic and enjoyable performances, even with the slight fumble in a few northern accents.
Strong sound design, led by Ronan Lenane and Freya Game, was steeped with 80s throwback tunes and background noises lending to the plays realism. The use of microphones would have been helpful, as even just two rows back to the side, some parts of the monologues here lost to me, particularly those taking place on the bed. but those scenes were highly successful and showed off Miki Ivan’s light design skills.
This performance had a lot going on, and where it was strongest it was vibrant and energetic, performed by an exuberant cast and executed by a clearly committed and imaginative production team.
