thu 28/03/2024

Albion, Bush Theatre | reviews, news & interviews

Albion, Bush Theatre

Albion, Bush Theatre

New play about English nationalism is timely, but undermined by its musical form

Flagging show: Delroy Atkinson in ‘Albion’ Photo: Richard Davenport

Opening on the day after the Scottish Referendum, Chris Thompson’s new play has a timely, even incendiary, title. It also recalls the sad little song ‘Albion’ by Pete Doherty and Babyshambles. This time, however, The Albion is the name of an East End pub which is the home of the English Protection Army, a far-right outfit that is both stupid and more than a touch sinister.

If these groups weren’t currently on the rise, cashing in on public disquiet about militant Islamism, it would be much easier to dismiss their Neanderthal posturing.

But this lot are in trouble. The EPA’s leader, Paul, wants to shed the image of a hooligan outfit, and reinvent himself as a reasonable representative of the white working class, the social group most resentful about recent social changes. His younger brother Jayson is also a party member, but more comfortable pursuing his gay love life and holding karaoke nights in his brother’s pub. Contrary to expectations, his lover is an Asian man, Ash.

Watching karaoke all night is life-sapping

Meanwhile, Christine — a social worker who is sacked after a scandal involving the grooming of young white girls by older Asian men — offers to help Paul to re-make his image. At the same time Poppy — Paul and Jayson’s sister — is killed while serving as a soldier in the British army. But while Jayson and Kyle, a black member of this far-right party, plot to take over the group, can Paul keep control?

Within a few minutes of the start of the show, it is clear not that the EPA has been hijacked by the smart-suited middle classes, but that the story has been turned into a karaoke musical. Almost every scene is structured around a classic song, starting with ‘Hey Ya’ and ending with ‘Laserlight”. On the way, we can sit back and enjoy ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’, ‘I Will Survive’ and ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’. Sadly, the net effect is that the story takes ages to tell. There's too much singing and not enough action.

So despite its timeliness, Albion has a clumsy plot, is full of clichés and the writing feels mechanical, derivative and repetitive. Anders Lustgarten’s A Day at the Racists and Roy Williams’s Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads both cover the same ground. So although some scenes have an undeniable power – and at its best the singing is thrilling – the storytelling is awkward and the material unoriginal. Very soon, boredom sets in. I love karaoke, but watching it all night is life-sapping.

Alright, there are some fun moments: I liked the YouTube Slam scene. But the show can't make up its mind whether it's is going to be a musical, a state-of-the-nation drama or a comedy. So the serious issues are drowned out in the raucous fun and the politics of the play are turned into light entertainment. A play that deals with urgent problems quickly morphs into a crowd-pleasing singalong. It’s incoherent, and disappointing. And a bore.

Ria Parry directs this as an entertaining evening with the help of a solid mic’d-up cast. Newcomer Tony Clay (pictured above right) gives Jayson a fierce energy and Steve John Shepherd — Michael Moon in EastEnders — plays Paul with commitment; Natalie Casey’s Christine, Delroy Atkinson’s Kyle and Dharmesh Patel’s Ash are all attractive performances. Albion might make you hum along, but I doubt if it can make you think.

 

A play that deals with urgent problems quickly morphs into a crowd-pleasing singalong

rating

Editor Rating: 
2
Average: 2 (1 vote)

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Comments

Wow! I would strongly recommend that you ignore this naive review. I saw The Albion this week and found it one of the most thought provoking, relevant and inspiring piece of modern story telling. Go book your ticket before it sells out.

I agree with the commenter above. This reviewer hasn't even done any work to think about what this play is trying to say - it's a terrible reflection of a brilliant important play

I agree wholeheartedly with the reviewer. This is one of the worst plays I've seen all year. The songs were highly irritating, the speech given by Paul in the pub before the end of the first act should have been uncomfortable and had us questioning ourselves about whether we agree with him. Instead it made me feel indifferent. If you think this is the most relevant and thought provoking piece of modern story telling, then I strongly urge you to go and watch other things. I was very excited to see this after reading the synopsis and the interviews and I can't say that I've been more disappointed in a show for a long while.

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