Consensual - A Review

On Friday, I had the pleasure of seeing Consensual by Evan Placey at the Nuffield Theatre. Here is my spoiler-free review of it.

Imagine a play that starts with a giant penis being drawn on the wall, then ends with you in tears and squirming uncomfortably in your seat. Doesn't seem possible, right? Well it is with Consensual, performed by Nuffield Youth Theatre.

The story is one of lies, betrayal, consent, and social issues. There are moments of hilarity, directly interspersed with those of horror and sadness. The director, Max Lindsay, used naturalism mainly, perfectly unified with sections of Frantic-Assembly-style symbolic physical theatre. The actors (who were all superb, by the way) used chalk to draw the 'set' on the floor of the stage, a dynamic approach which produced pacy and exciting breaks between scenes. Although the theatre was small, this heightened the feelings of discomfort when the artistic intentions were as such, and intensified the moments of heartbreak for both the actors and the audience.
At the lighter points of the play, it is set in a classroom filled with rowdy children. Anyone who's ever been in a class full of teenagers can relate to this scenario, and it was the type of setting where every audience member could point at a character and identify someone like that in their own lives. The actors painted almost caricature-like characters, but it didn't feel for a moment forced or overly dramatic (if you can be overly dramatic during a play). The plot flowed easily and despite it's complexity, was followed to the letter by everyone in the audience.

As well as being stimulating visually and emotionally, the play poses many hard questions about consent, maturity, and "quite who is doing the leading astray" (Fiona Mountford, for the Evening Standard). As an audience member, you are left to deliberate which character is in the wrong, if any of them are.

As an actor, to force an audience to like you and hate you and empathise with you all at the same time is exceedingly difficult. This, however, was achieved by both main characters; Laurie McNamara as the then-15-year-old schoolboy Freddie, and Evelyn Blackwell as Diane, the schoolteacher who 'led astray' Freddie (or did she?). Being an actor myself, I realise the talent that this requires, and appreciate it when I see it. The audience's emotions are further manipulated consciously by the twists and turns in the plot, and unconsciously by the exquisite physical theatre that cohesively force them into caring for these characters and their situation, whilst questioning the characters' morality and therefore their own.

In my opinion, it was a masterpiece. I encourage anyone who has the chance to see it done by anyone to do so, and also to see anything else that Nuffield Youth Theatre perform in the future. I've added Consensual to my bucket list of plays I want to do before I die!