Wednesday, 19 September 2012

Morning by Simon Stephens, Lyric Hammersmith, dir Sean Holmes




B….. Work-shopped by the Lyric Young Peoples’ Company, Morning recalls Eclipse and DNA, written by Simon Armitage and Dennis Kelly. All three deal with adolescence on the dark side. In Morning soul-mates separate as one is about to go to university, while the other vows to make them stay with horrific consequences. The dangerous atmosphere is unrelenting, picked out by harsh lighting; isolated ‘bits of set’ such as fridge, a fish tank, in which paper-boats float and burn; and in a nod to Filter Company, an on-stage SX technician, who makes dissonant sound. The actors do seem to play younger than their scripted personas (Stephanie and Cat are seventeen); a little too gauche and knock-kneed. And for the most part play ‘face-on.’ This raw, authentic stance suits the story and production style. Yet the 'Youth Experience’ is not all about attitude….There is also a terrifying poetry, which Armitage offers; and taut action explored by Dennis Kelly. Morning, in comparison, still feels in places like a script in development…… 



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