Rough and, Almost, Ready: Punk Rock Reviewed

A fresher’s play is not meant to be a refined piece of drama, but instead a showcase of future talent; a prophetic insight into the personalities that will grace our stages over the next four years. If Punk Rock is representative of the fate of St Andrews’ dramatic scene, then it is safe to say that it is in perfectly competent hands.

Be that as it may, attending the first show, all potential errors that could have plagued the play were in full force: lines were stumbled, character was broken; lighting directions were totally misguided, with part of a scene performed in total darkness; and the sound cues were off the mark, albeit to hilarious effect. The dramatic climax of the play, featuring a psychotic student running rampage through his sixth form common room, was undermined by the fact that the gunman’s victims had hit the ground before the gun appeared to have been fired. My immediate thought was that it was simply an aural delay; obviously the speed of light vastly outpaces the speed of sound (It is basic science, Paddy). Then it occurred to me: as I was only two metres away from the stage, presumably this was a lack of communication with the sound stage rather than the fault of the laws of physics.

The truth is that a two-hour play of this nature, with dark themes underscoring scenes of heavy dialogue, was a ludicrously ambitious project. Yet, it was that ambition which paradoxically provided this play with an undeniable charm. Yes, the play lacked direction, but amidst the disorder there was the occasional spark of brilliance. The occasional line of profundity or mannerism salvaged some of the integral flaws, with the character of William in particular shepherding the cast away from disaster, effectively capturing a fusion of madness and immaturity with subtlety and apparent ease. Mistakes were made, ideas weren’t quite convincingly delivered, but ultimately it is an incredibly tall order to put on a play with little prior experience and limited scope to rehearse and so credit to the cast’s effort and spirit in presenting something a little different. The players soldiered on, and as the play came to its close, I wasn’t left unsatisfied.

Photos by Katie Brennan