Children abandoned by their parents and left at the mercy of carers who are not suited to deal with difficult behavioural problems are no longer a blind spot of society. This co-production with Number Nine Theatre proves that the Theatre503 is a place where new writing talent can showcase their work, but in this production an important topic is tackled rather helplessly.
Children abandoned by their parents and left at the mercy of carers who are not suited to deal with difficult behavioural problems are no longer a blind spot of society. This co-production with Number Nine Theatre proves that the Theatre503 is a place where new writing talent can showcase their work, but in this production an important topic is tackled rather helplessly.
Sean is a 13-year-old boy who lives in a bare room in a children’s home. As is often the case with children of that age, the authorities have difficulties in finding him a place in a foster family. To dream himself away from the constant disappointment of his young life, he seeks solace in a very specific book about a world that couldn’t be further away from his reality. Despite having been abandoned by his mother, he has kept his childlike ability to dream himself away into fantasy worlds in which oak trees turn into exotic and magical mangroves. A motif that’s neither subtle nor particularly interesting, the mangrove right outside his window signifies a dream world he can escape into. Here in the swamps of an undefined African country, a black man by the name of Charles lives with his big and jolly family. As a writer, letting an exoticism like this actually come to life on stage is a stylistic decision that is questionable at the best of times. Here too it feels oddly dated when Sean’s fantasy manifests itself in the form of Mark Springer’s simple-minded Charles.
The performers were convincing on the whole and did the best they could with the material. EastEnders’ Charlie Jones, who is known for playing Ben Mitchell in the soap, is the young main character and constant focus of the production. It took me a while to warm to his portrayal of Sean, but very soon there was much more to the boy than just a truculent brat when he gets to express adorable childish joy when the clunky metaphor for a better life literally blows into the window in the form if a couple of oak leaves. Jones’ performance turns out to be nicely layered – certainly an achievement for an only 16-year-old performer.
David Birrell plays Sean’s carer Mike with the attitude of a disillusioned, sad custodian who has serious anger management issues. Totally unfit to take care of a child who has to cope with having gone through domestic abuse, Mike is in constant battle with himself. He is frustrated with his incapability to fully gain Sean’s trust or control the child’s unruly behaviour. But when we see Sean interact with Charles later on, we become aware as an audience that he is not actually mentally unbalanced. Something else must stand between Mike and Sean that prevents a connection from forming. When Mike, the person who is entrusted with fixing Sean’s problems, claims that families are not everything they’re cranked up to be, a whole realm of topics so hotly discussed in relation to child neglect get touched upon. Unfortunately the dialogue lacks a certain depth, it’s all discussed but not illustrated believably in the character’s actions.
The set is practical but also slightly uninspired, especially for a play that sets out to invoke the escapist fantasies of its main character. A wooden frame around the whole proscenium remains just as puzzling as a creative choice as the black nothingness of the window and both don’t work particularly well with the rather unsupportive lighting.
According to Joe Hammond, writing this play has been a very personal process of coming to terms with the time he worked in a children’s psychiatric hospital as a young man. What a shame then that this play lacks a certain finesse that allows for audiences to engage in the characters and their story arc.
What from the outset could have been a promising examination of the vicious circle of abuse turns a bit hackneyed, and the ultimate twist of the story may indeed be surprising, but not necessarily in a good way.