Company: Bunbanter’s Young Theatre Company
By: Emily Patel, Press Team.
Inspired by Emma Watson’s UN Speech, this is a darkly humorous production exploring gender stereotypes. Despite a simple set and only a few actors, it was enough to convey their message.
Stuck on a train are three girls and three boys whose opposing views on gender erupt into confrontational chaos. ‘Macho guy’ blamed the ‘typical female driver’ for the breakdown of the train; ‘smooth operator’ believed he could get any girl he wanted; and my favourite, the ‘cute one’ who the audience empathised with his fear of chatting up the girls. An out of character outburst from him in the middle of an argument, was particularly entertaining. A strong feminist; another who opposed her views and a very shy girl, completed the trio of female characters.
With an interesting deviation from standard productions; the audience got an unexpected surprise when the actors stepped outside of their characters for brief moments to discuss their experiences. For example, one of the girls pointed out, that female dancers received less applause than male dancers purely because there were fewer male dancers, in a show she was part of. For a minute, you could sense the audience pause and think.
The realistic facial expressions and effective physical movement presenting a change in time took the audience on an amazing journey. The only criticism is that when the characters had their headphones on during part of the play, it was unclear as to whether they were deliberately hesitating in their speech or not. An audience member agreed that she ‘couldn’t tell whether they were improvising or not.’
Although the production had minimal props, the use of well executed light change enhanced the experience of typical modern day environment.
Overall, it was an extremely entertaining play with a clear message on relevant issues of today. People can have different views on ‘gender roles’ which shouldn’t be ignored. Laughter signified its humour and captivated attention.
