Punk Rock is a raw and glistening play by Simon Stephens. It lasts nearly two hours without an interval and never feel less than gripping - a great credit to this pounding production. Set in the present day in a high school in Stockport (near Manchester, central UK), it is the story of a 17-year-old girl who moves schools from down South. Arriving at her new school, she ingratiates herself into a dysfunctional group of six other sixth-formers undergoing the pressures of revising for their A-level mock exams. In the run-up to the exams and the students receiving their results, a host of adolescent anxieties and passionate impulses drive dizzying shifts in their group's dynamics and cumulatively result in a catastrophic conclusion.

A play about a group of earnest, assertive teenagers who are emotionally vulnerable and unpredictably capricious requires a cast of great integrity. This production is bursting with fine performances, all closely observed and committed. Tom Sturridge plays mentally and emotionally maladjusted William Carlisle with an insular intensity. His character's internal torture is palpable as he screws his face up, spits out his words and jerks his limbs. Jessica Raine's performance as Lilly Cahill is a strong and sturdy counterpoint to Tom Sturridge's twistedness. Henry Lloyd-Hughes plays the slick and boorish bully of the group, Bennett Francis, with gleeful ease. Sophie Wu as Cissy Franks struts purposefully around the stage firing deadpan sleights. Katie West plays Tanya Gleason, the relatively amiable member of the group with calm assuredness. Nicholas Banks is brisk and bold as Nicholas Chatman, the fit and stable love-interest for Lilly. Harry McEntire plays Chadwick Meade, the brunt of Bennett's barbaric taunts, with a combination of resigned subservience and prophetic objectivity. When all on stage together, the interplay is electric.

Sarah Frankcom's snappy direction (which takes some acclimatisation) soon reveals itself to be the generator of the play's urgency. At times, when the dialogue is firing at lightning speed, the responses from the actors seem to be unconnected to their thoughts, and the authenticity of the exchanges suffers somewhat. But it's generally a breathtaking display of balancing a driving momentum with the actors' sincerity.

Paul Wills's design provides an atmospheric backdrop to the excellent action on stage. Formica desks and plastic school-chairs are positioned centre-stage; along two entrances are wooden desks with the golden glow of library lamps. Above the stage, countless leather-bound books dangle from chains, lending a feel of dungeon-like captivity to the school scenes. In between scenes, sound designer Pete Rice plays ear-splitting music by bands including White Stripes and Sonic Youth to provide a violent, discordant blast which jolts the senses and reinforces the sense of the characters' angst.

If the play flounders at any point, it is in areas of the writing which sometimes feel superfluous. Occasionally, the dialogue seems to reveal little about the characters that isn't already known and doesn't appear to push the story forward. At these times, it feels as if the play begins to tread water, but it never lasts long. Overall Punk Rock is a magnificent piece of writing supported by a supremely able cast. It makes for a rapturous evening of entertainment.

Cast Credits: (alpha order): Nicholas Banks – Nicholas Chatman. Henry Lloyd-Hughes – Bennett Francis. Harry McEntire – Chadwick Meade. Jessica Raine – Lilly Cahill. Tom Sturridge – William Carlisle. Emma Warburton – Lucy Francis. Katie West – Tanya Gleason. Simon Wolfe – Dr Richard Harvey. Sophie Wu – Cissy Franks.

Company Credits: Writer - Simon Stephens. Recorded Music By - various bands, performers, writers. Director - Sarah Frankcom. Designer - Paul Wills. Lighting Designer - Philip Gladwell. Sound Designer - Pete Rice. Technical Operator - uncredited. Fight and Movement Director - Mike Ashcroft. Voice and Dialect Coach - Jan Haydn Rowles. Assistant Director - Clive Judd. Company Manager - Lee Drinkwater. Stage Manager - Julia Wade. Deputy Stage Manager - Maggie Tully. Assistant Stage Manager - Beth Dibble. Production Photography - Helen Maybanks (www.helenmaybanks.com). Press Officer (Royal Exchange) - John Goodfellow. Press & Marketing Officer (Royal Exchange) - Vicky Bloor. Press Officer (Lyric) - Amy Belson. Producer - uncredited. Company - Lyric Hammersmith & Royal Exchange Manchester. Websites - www.lyric.co.uk & www.royalexchangetheatre.org.uk.

END

(c) Jonny Lodge 2009

reviewed Monday 19 October 09 / Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester UK

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com