The Stage

Street Trilogy - Raw

Published Thursday 24 February 2005 at 12:20 by Paul Vale

On trains, under bridges and in sidings, grafitti decorates the urban landscape, alerting the public to a darker, painful nightlife that exists outside most of our imaginations. Lex’s anger pushes her over the edge one night when she commits a frenzied attack on a young boy, which nearly kills him. Now they are all in hiding and peer pressure escalates to uncontrollable violence within the group as the “geezer bird” Lex begins to relive a pattern set by an abusive father.

Chris O’Connell brings the poetry of the youth’s obsessive compulsive behaviour to the fore in this stark unrelenting drama. In Raw we are introduced to Vicky Pollard with a flick knife. It could have been disastrous and yet while O’Connell peppers his writing with some humour, the darker intent terrifies, all the more so because it is ostensibly young girls providing the violence here.

Rachel Brogan as Lex is outstanding and in this situation, possibly groundbreaking. This slip of a girl terrorizes everybody, yet the poignancy of her situation touches us deeply and Brogan’s performance is wholly believable and decidedly emotionally charged. Samantha Power as sidekick Trainers exudes pathos without pity whilse an indelicate humour is provided by Rebekah Manning, practically incomprehensible with her Bristol accent, even to others in the gang. Graeme Hawley and Belinda Everett strive to save the children from themselves, both actors giving solid performances and adding balance to the chaos of the story. The ritualised violence at the centre of the story results in what may be theatre at it’s most frightening.