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Chav Scum Kills God
A new play written and directed by Drew Davies
Courtyard Theatre
11 - 30 November, 2008
A review by Rosie Fiore for EXTRA! EXTRA!
Yes, yes I know. It’s the job of the critic to approach a subject with an open mind, dispassionate, apolitical and open. But when faced with a title like Chav Scum Kills God, it’s hard to walk into the venue without some preconceived idea of what you’re about to see and how you might receive it. I can honestly say that having read the title and the synopsis, I would have bet my Christmas mince pie allowance that I was going to hate this piece, and find it offensive. I’m glad to say that I didn’t. In brief, Chaverston Robert Scumthorpe Jnr. wakes up to discover he’s dead, and, what’s more, has gone to Hell. It’s not a bad place –“what you make of it” – the attendant Angel/Demon/Weirdo tells him. Robert is reunited with his deceased father, who seems to be getting on rather well in Hell. Robert Senior persuades his son to journey out of Hades in an attempt to assassinate God. So far, so peculiar. But when Robert gets to Heaven, he discovers that his girlfriend Kathy has passed over to the other side and is, in fact, God (because they all take turns). What could have been at best an unholy mess, or at worst deeply offensive, is rescued by some razor-sharp, witty writing, particularly in the first half. Drew Davies creates the parameters of his Underworld with confidence and broad strokes, and we’re drawn into the oddness without too many misgivings. Unfortunately, in the second half the writing is less tight, the religious philosophy fuzzy and muddled and characters less clearly drawn. Still, it’s full of laughs, definitely original and thunders along at a cracking pace. I could spend hours picking philosophical holes in the “messages” of the piece, but to be honest, I don’t think it was intended to be robust enough to stand up to that kind of scrutiny. The devil seems a nice enough chap, Kathy’s version of God says that “when you see the world from here you see it’s all connected”, thereby excusing her indifference to the plight of millions of innocents. The only villain seems to be Robert Senior, a rather nasty individual who has made his way up the ranks in Hell by prostituting himself to the most evil men in history (you don’t want to know what he did with Stalin, trust me). I left not entirely sure what Davis was trying to say about the state of the world, morality and religion, but then I’m not sure he knows either. Of course, productions created in circumstances like this always require the maximum suspension of disbelief from their audience: the set consists mainly of flimsy Venetian blinds and the lighting, sound and special effects, while professionally executed, are extremely limited. I couldn’t help feeling that the idea of the play was much bigger in Davis’ head than it was in execution. Performance-wise, everyone was competent: Bradley Benjamin had to carry the bulk of the play, and was sometimes a little wooden… I felt I could see his words on the page. He had the chav look spot on, but his delivery sometimes lacked the brutish articulacy evident in the writing. Jonathan Hansler as Lou was confident and slimy, and I particularly enjoyed Sarah Alborn as Kathy. She brought a sweetness and poignancy to a role that could have been a cliché, and some of the details in the writing and her portrayal were lovely: it stands to reason that if a girl was going to be God, she’d dress up like a Barbie princess, complete with tiara. I know I would. This is not a play that is going to change the world, or even particularly challenge the way you think. But it’s well and wittily written, bravely staged and a good night out. I might argue that it could be better served with a less controversial title, but perhaps shock tactics are the best way to grab attention and audiences these days. I think we’ll be seeing more of Drew Davis as a playwright in the future. Cast The Courtyard (Studio Theatre) Bowling Green Walk, 40 Pitfield Street, N1 6EU Tues - Sun - 7:30 pm Tickets: £12.50/ £10 concs
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ay Couzen