BURNT OAK LEICESTER SQUARE THEATRE
By OLIVER VALENTINE
Burnt Oak at the Leicester Square Theatre, offers a gritty kitchen-sink drama by new writer Laurence Lynch, that engages from beginning to end.
Lynch, a plumber who once fixed the toilets at the venue, has based his story on real life events and describes the process as ‘cathartic’. His play is set in a council flat in Burnt Oak, north London, an area where Mr Lynch lived more than 20 years ago.
Nobby is a trainee decorator, who on a drunken night out meets trainee hairdresser Susan. She lives with her long suffering mother and bullying ex-con father. Things are going well until Susan becomes pregnant, and Nobby continues to show a weakness for the booze. When the baby is born Nobby tries to reform by joining AA, but not all in the family are willing to forgive him, and tragedy strikes.
Lynch has an excellent ear for naturalistic dialogue and his play superbly captures the colloquialisms of North West London. It is a delight to hear the words and rhythms of lines that are savoured and delivered by the cast with great accuracy. Occasionally the play’s structure is weak but as a first piece Lynch shows great promise as a writer.
The casting is spot-on. Louis Cardona is charming as the well intentioned but naive Nobby, and Danielle Flett is utterly believable as his teenage lover Susan. Donna Combe is outstanding as Margaret, who ultimately believes that ‘Life is not about deserving,’ and Jason Wing mesmerises as the bulldoggish Alpha male George. Dan Maclane as Nobby’s workmate Terry, also displays some fine deadpan comic timing.
Nathan Osgood’s tight direction holds the piece together, and the intimacy of the performance space adds to a sense of connection with the characters and their journey.
Burnt Oak is not to be missed. Grab a ticket while you can
OLIVER VALENTINE
Burnt Oak plays until 3rd September www.leicestersquaretheatre.com