The Perils of Youth Play is one where very little happens. Seriously, very very little, zilch, nought, nothing. Yet at the same time so much is said and in the most delightful way. If elaborate speeches, delivered with wonderful gusto, are your thing then this really will appeal. Because it has plenty of that.
Mother (Maggie Rose) and son (writer Julian Guassardo) are alone in their home, arguing over who should answer the door when someone knocks. They argue, they complain, they accuse, but they never actually answer the door. It is, as Mother declares, “the never-ending chronicle of the door”. And that is it, except that would be a serious disservice to the play. In all their bickering they paint some wonderful scenes, pondering on the mother-son relationship and the gift of life one brings to the other.
There is undoubtably much deeper meaning behind it all. The show blurb talks of “the eternal struggles that resides within the family and the collective unconscious.”, and without question there are hints of the eternal in their bickering, as if they have been performing this same dance forever, repeatedly going over it, stuck in some strange purgatory. But even if you struggle (as I did at times) to fathom what it might be trying to say, it really shouldn’t matter, instead you can just sit back and savour the lunacy of it all. Because who writes a play about two characters spending almost an hour arguing about who should answer the damn door!
To pull off such a show requires strong performances and in Rose and Guassardo they have them. Guassardo prowls the stage with a sinister menace, full of an inner rage at whatever injustice he feels has been bestowed upon him by his mother. He looks like he could explode at any moment and yet at each knock on the door he recoils, clearly scared to be the one to answer it. He talks of his pending greatness, suggesting whoever may be at the door could be there to laud him, and yet you know that’s never going to be the case. Rose’s mother sits throughout, and even as her son demands she rise to get the door, you sense she has not left that chair for an eternity, she looks entrenched in it, as if the chair is part of her being. But even as static as she remains, she dominates their relationship. She directs her anger onto her son, with constant complaints of his ungratefulness even though she gave birth to him. Regular descriptions of the birth itself make delightful use of language.
The script flows and the language is rhythmic, almost Shakespearean, as it rises and falls in its tones. It feels poetic and will delight those who savour how words can roll over the tongue. It also emphasises the strength of the two performers, that they can spill out so much without any obvious stumble.
The lighting and sound aid in setting the scene, with flickering candlelight effects giving a Victorian feel, while outside a storm seems constantly about to break. It feels very at home in the basement space that is Barons Court Theatre.
The Perils of Youth Play is not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, for some it could feel quite dull, but if you appreciate flowing language and a story that does nothing and yet says so much, it’s a play that will strangely delight.
Written by Julian Guassardo
Directed by Micky Gibbons
Produced by Green Man Productions
The Perils of Youth Play has completed its run at Barons Court Theatre. It will play again at Rosemary Branch Theatre on Friday 28 and Sunday 30 August as part of Camden Fringe.
A play where nothing actually happens yet it keeps you gripped throughout, as mother and son go through an eternal game of accusations and regrets. Rating
Excellent!
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