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Broken Biscuits
Birmingham Rep Door
***** TOM Wells is an East Yorkshire playwright
with a love of music. He is no stranger to Birmingham REP, with FOLK
performed earlier in the year to critical acclaim. In his current
production with Paines Plough and Live Theatre,
Broken Biscuits
is the story of looking forward to the unknown future. It is a coming of
age story in which three teenagers, Megan, Holly and Ben are about to
leave school to become college students. The trio are misfits at school and tell us that
they are the ‘losers’. They rely on each other and use Megan’s garden
shed as their main hub of congregation. The setting of the play is at
the end of the school year, going into the first year of college to
start a complete new step of education.
For Megan, Holly and Ben, it is an opportunity to
break away from the labels and conceptions of school peers to create new
personae. Megan is desperate to be the ‘cool’ girl she never was at
school and is determined to bring Holly and Ben into her club. As part
of her personality reform, she has a grand idea to start a band and buys
a drum kit from the local charity shop. From Megan’s drum kit, their band is formed. It is Megan’s passport to finally being part of the cool gang in college. She is so headstrong on rebranding herself and making sure people no longer see her as a ‘loser’ that she signs them up to an Open Mic night at college. Supportive friends Holly and Ben are not sure
about how they feel about changing their personalities, but offer
support by playing background melodies with guitar and vocals. Looking through the teenage perspective, Wells
tells the story of being comfortable within ones skin, no matter how the
world perceives you. Bossy and headstrong Megan is played by Faye
Christall who is impeccable within the role. She never takes no for an answer and is
determined to make her misfit friends see the benefits to break free
from their usual social labels. With a dream of the future and a burning
desire to change her personality, in doing so, she unconsciously changes
the dynamic of the group. She becomes a dictator and no longer
recognises the importance of individuality.
Holly is played by
Grace Hogg-Robinson who also features in the regular role of Beth
Kennedy in BBC’s The Coroner.
As the shy and intelligent friend, she is overshadowed by Megan’s loud
personality. When her talent for singing is revealed, Holly slowly
starts to find a new confidence until she blooms in the final part of
the play. Hogg-Robinson gives a sweet charm to Holly and the audience
are instantly warmed by her on-stage presence. Andrew Reed plays Ben, who throughout school was
ridiculed because of sexuality. Reed captures a wonderful essence within
Ben and truly creates a loveable character. Reed and Christall have a
particularly moving moment in which he explains in song about his inner
emotions. The beautifully detailed set design by Lily
Arnold showed the back garden shed of where the trio rehearsed. With
meticulous detail including tools and a rickety roof, we have the sense
that this is their world only. To those on the outside, they are the
misfits, but in safety within the walls of the shed, Megan, Holly and
Ben are free to display their true personalities, personalities very
much hidden in the outside world. Bright spotlights shine outwards and
create flashes at each scene change, alluding to high energised concerts
and the glamour of the stage. Wells has a natural ability to make people see
the most beautiful elements within the broken world around us. Each
character is there to support and accentuate the personality of the
other. For what each individual might see as a flaw, the others can see
a positive that is only to be celebrated. Wells is one-of-a-kind and
injects his love for life, people and music to uplift the hearts of
audiences. To 03-12-16. Elizabeth Halpin 30-11-16
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