This show tells the story of five individuals from Year 2 through to their early 30s, and how nothing really changes from when we were children!
We see the characters in Year 2, Year 9 and at their school reunion years after they have left. I absolutely loved the way that the set changed to represent them growing up. For example, when they were in Year 2, the chairs were bigger than the actors, the doors were huge, the door handles were a full arm length above their heads and the hiding place was a huge grate in the wall. In Year 9, everything was more or less normal size, and at the reunion the chairs were tiny. It was a very clever way of showing the passage of time and growing older.
The actors are all incredibly talented, completely and utterly capturing the characterisation of the child stereotypes that they were playing. I think that everyone in the audience could relate to a character, or parts of different characters, and could definitely name someone from school who the characters represented!
There were some real laugh out loud and cringe moments in this show, but I didn’t find it as side splittingly funny as some of Mischief Theatre’s other shows. That’s perhaps because this show, whilst very funny, is also trying to explore some slightly deeper and more difficult issues around growing up. It does this very effectively and sensitively, and there are some very poignant moments.
I did, however, find the show a little long and found myself looking at my watch. Ten to fifteen minutes shorter would be a much more comfortable length, and I did feel like the final scene dragged on for a little too long.
A concern I have about this show its target audience. Unlike ‘The Play That Goes Wrong’, ‘Peter Pan’ and ‘A Comedy About a Bank Robbery’, which have universal appeal to all age demographics, this show is very much targeted at the early-30 something’s. As such, some of the comedy will be lost on the older and younger generations. For example, when I saw this, there was 9 year old boy in the audience who, at the interval, asked his Mum what msn was. There is still plenty of comedy in this show that will appeal to all, but it’s maybe not quite as inclusive as the other productions.
I won’t be rushing back to see this show, but I’m really glad I saw it. I thoroughly recommend it to anyone in their early 30s as it’s a fun night out with a nice little stroll (or rather cringing remembrance!) down memory lane.