William Golding famously used schoolchildren to examine the thin barrier between civilisation and barbarism. With Broken Boys, author Jake Talbot uses school pupils to explore the fragility of mental health and the healing power of companionship.
Liam (Paisley James) claims he has manipulated teachers into setting up a peer support group ('The Sad Sack Group') ostensibly to give traumatised pupils the opportunity to share their problems, but really just to eat biscuits and mess about. Liam plays his cards close to his chest, being aware of the secrets of the other pupils but not revealing his own. His status as the alpha of the group is challenged by newcomer Harry (Sam O’Donnell), who is just as manipulative and capable of undermining Liam’s authority to build his own power-base. But when the most vulnerable member of the group commits a rash act, things slide out of control.
Among the many surprises in Broken Boys is how the script balances drama with humour. Chris Martin of Coldplay is used as proof you cannot trust anyone whose name comprises two first names. The humour is used to convincingly demonstrate the camaraderie and affection between the characters, especially in the opening to act two, where Alex Rhodes and Joshua Mason’s inspired fantasy on the best songs to use in an X Factor audition brings down the house—there is even a perfect punchline from Rhodes several minutes later. The blend of humour and drama helps mislead the audience as to the identity of the character in greatest need of help.
Director Miranda Parker merges naturalism with exaggerated dramatic movements. Initial displays of the pupils roughhousing, with slow-motion movement to a heavy rock backing, become horribly distorted towards the end of act one when the same techniques are used to show a character succumbing to their demons. The defensive exterior personalities used by the characters as shields against intimacy are revealed as they bang on about football or computer games, speaking at the same time and listening to no-one.
The acting is of a high quality. Paisley James has a strong air of menace, intimidating not through shouting but by a disconcerting, soft-spoken sense of stillness. Impressively, Sam O’Donnell does not hide the nasty side of Harry, cosying up to the other pupils to get them to side with him against Liam and sneering as he believes he has triumphed—he is not a gracious winner. Yet, whether by accident or intent, Harry’s supportive behaviour helps build the confidence of his fellow pupils—he is a helpful trickster.
However, Harry is out of his depth, and runs scared, when it comes to befriending Lupo, who needs more help than just a pep talk on how to chat with girls. Elliot Whitehead, as Lupo, stands out among a very good cast. As Lupo’s anxiety and neediness increases, Whitehead moves from being highly-strung to emotionally wrecked; there is even a hint of a stutter developing as his health deteriorates.
Typical of a play full of surprises, Broken Boys concludes on a positive note with an inspiring demonstration of the redemptive power of friendship. Broken Boys is a rare production in which all elements—script, direction and acting—combine to give a powerful evening at the theatre.