Rob Is is a witty, relevant and charming portrayal of a young man's confusion with the media and the banalities of celebrity culture. In particular, it interrogates the self-obsessive and ever-increasing nature of personal blogging and Rob's own obsession with his female housemate. It takes place in a sit-com-style set of the characters' living room. Action is only revealed through being described, in a dialogue-driven plot. This style emphasises the words, which works cleverly to articulate the content of the play - which is focused on words - itself.

Matthew Wade adequately portrays Rob (a young professional businessman struggling with the absence of meaning in his life) by getting angry with trivial things which surround him. He embodies a young man who is easily riled to rant in a morally-arrogant fashion, much to the annoyance of Rayyah McCaul's Beth. Initially the sympathy lies with him, because of the frequent sarcastic comments from Beth and his childishly defensive retorts - which stem from his unrequited love for her. But as the narrative develops, the incessant nature of his unnecessary ranting becomes apparent and the empathy switches to Beth. Rayyah McCaul is equally convincing in her role as a young woman easily frustrated with her short-tempered housemate and her erratic emotional responses begin to mimic his.

Tiffany Hudson's lighting design subtly transforms the performance space into the effect of an open TV studio, reflecting how people are readily sucked into a media-driven culture. It utilises the role of the spectators to reinforce the play's message in an accusing manner, hinting that everyone is guilty at some stage of being sucked into media, cyber and new technology trends. After a safe opening, towards the end there is a sudden shift in mood – a harsh reminder of how publicity can rapidly transform the norm into cyber-celebrity with little regard for reality.

Slow and slightly awkward to start, the play flows more easily and with greater interest and stronger performances as it develops. It contains some observantly amusing comments, conversation which is current today in houses and workplaces (particularly with regard to social networking sites) and poignant messages: 'find something you care about, and care about it for the right reasons'. The combination of script, actors and aesthetic works well, but it is a safe production which fails to break a mould. Messages are poignant but undisguised, and intuition is only required to assume the path of events in the narrative. But the simplistic style and its clarity give the best sympathetic accompaniment to its central feature - the text. It's just an entertaining and thought-provoking hour's entertainment - no real surprises or challenges.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Rayyah McCaul - Beth Jones. Robin Ince - (voice of) The Newsreader. David Swain - Andy Caan. Matthew Wade - Robert Morgan.

Company Credits: Writer - Trent Burton. Director - Trent Burton. Sound and Lights - Tiffany Hudson. Technical Operator - uncredited. Publicity Manager - Stephanie Nattu. Assistant Director - Melinda Burton. Producer - Melinda Burton. Producer - Trent Burton. Company - Trunkman Productions. Website - www.trunkman.co.uk.

END

(c) Emma Turner 2009

reviewed Tuesday 11 August 2009 / Camden People's Theatre, London UK

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com