Review: Bombs Over Byker, Greenside @ Riddlers Court

There is absolutely no doubt about Lucas English‘s ability to multirole. He hops from side to side, or up and down the collapsible step that makes up the entire set in this blackbox space at Greenside. His voice work allows complete distinction between characters, leaving little doubt for whom he is speaking in that moment. Put simply, the man is a powerhouse of a performer, and I’d happily watch him perform elsewhere.

The problem is, as he hops manically around, inhabits character after character and rattles through the story, it all becomes just a little too much, too intense. I’m crying out for him to take a deep breath just to allow myself to recompose. Now this may be a bit unfair, and I had just come from another show that was deeply beautiful, so maybe this intensity was the last thing I needed. Or maybe that made no difference; maybe Bombs Over Byker really does need a pause here and there!

The story sees River and his well-to-do family forced to move to Newcastle when they fall on hard times, their finances hit by medical bills for his sister. There he meets local lads Shane and Crombie, triggering off a rather drastic escalation of events, beginning with a little bit of petty theft – because the rich kids won’t really miss a MacBook will they? – to the rather more serious activity of breaking onto a nearby military base. Not for the first time this week, this is a show about young adults feeling that direct and drastic action is the only option left open to them, resisting an authority that no longer seems concerned about anyone other than those in power and with money. As I’ve said in previous reviews, this seems to be a theme that we will be hearing more and more from young theatre makers over the next few years as they grow up in a world where money is everything and at times it can appear that the whole system is rigged to protect the rich from everyone else.

Here though, the story is slightly different in that River is not from a poor background, nor is he someone who has been brought up in a system seemingly designed to suppress him. In fact, as his sister tells him, he is more like his dad every day, and his dad is certainly part of that elite. Bombs Over Byker instead takes that feeling of helplessness and turns it slightly on its head, showing that even here it’s the upper classes pushing the buttons, being the ones capable of manipulating the lower classes to do their bidding. It’s less about the masses uprising to fight ‘the man’ than it is the masses being manipulated to still do ‘the man’s’ bidding, perhaps for sport rather than for any political ideology. It’s a fascinating idea and is what makes the show so interesting.

But it’s presenting it in such a frantic fashion, as a one-man show, that causes issues. As a two-hander it might work better and with less leaping around, less trying to keep up with everything this one man is saying and doing. This would give everyone a little space for reflection every now and again.

That, though, does not lessen what is obviously an incredible performance. English is mesmerising, I just wish he could stop for a moment here and there so I can take a breath and get my thoughts straight.

Written by Lucas English

Bombs Over Byker plays at Greenside @ Riddlers Court until Saturday 29 August.