An overture of The Jam’s A Town Called Malice rings in the opening of Rory Aaron’s one-man play as we begin in the dingey local, soon to be an upscale café, as old compatriots Dean and Joe reunite over a warm pint of Stella. Joe, now working in theatre near the capital, returns to the West-Midlands more worldly and urbane, but for Dean not much has changed except his waistline and blood pressure. As we are shoggled back years to the duo’s childhood and the interwoven circumstances surrounding the nucleus of their friendship, This Town skilfully explores the nature of masculinity and male relationships against a backdrop of small, working-class community life.
An engaging and thoughtful piece
The flow of the spoken-word poetic format is delivered excellently by Aaron with writing that adds marvellous depth to its small-town setting. The turbulence of war is felt strongly in Joe’s brother Liam and the enduring damage of PTSD, which stands level with overarching themes of working-class exploitation, brought to life by the high calibre of Aaron’s acting and efficient use of lamps to reflect missile attacks. At times, however, it is difficult to discern characters apart, perhaps an attempt at irony on the trope of small-town aversion to individualism but one not done as neatly as could be.
In its attempt to characterise the community’s various local quirks, This Town sacrifices some story progression to cast a wide-reaching net: the father with Alzheimer’s; the bustling boozer serving stale Carling; the accidental discovery of one’s fluid sexuality in drama class; the calmness of morning walks up the moors. These are all relatable sources to draw from, synonymous with small town life, but do not necessarily further much of the narrative – something to be enjoyed on a larger scale through a different medium.
Perhaps it is Aaron’s intention to paint a wide frame and not shade in the finer details to give credence to the feeling of interconnectivity of a small community, but it doesn’t leave much room for character growth in Liam or Joe. Nevertheless, the play – ambitious for a one-man act – is engaging and thoughtful, delving into the workings of backwater societies and the various intertwined lives of those who inhabit them.
