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The
action in 'Forward' centres on mouthy Birmingham teenager Susan,
a sort of Adrian Mole-cum-Lolita, who likes to patronise her dad,
the bigoted Tony, and tantalise her two uncles, the thoughtful Mike
and clownish Dave.
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| Catherine
Skinner as Susan |
Susan
secretly loves Mike but isn't sure if he feels the same. No such
doubts with Dave, who offers her ten quid to get her top off.
Meanwhile, brother Kieran dreams of being the first gay hip-hop
star but can't face coming out. When we see Tony at work - debt
collecting - we know he isn't going to take any of this very well.
The
play derives much of its power and humour from the painful honesty
of its characters.
"They say there's one in every family," a shocked Tony
tells Mike when he learns of Kieran's homosexuality. "But we
all thought it was you."
Even their compassion is brutally frank: "It's not your fault
your sperm's no ****ing good," Dave consoles the infertile
Mike.
The
dialogue is fast, funny and quotable ("Progress is like shit.
It happens", Susan memorably opines) and the voices instantly
sound like people we know - clearly Warrington has a good ear.
The acting is first rate, with Ged McKenna excellent as walking
volcano Tony, and Robert Harrison as Mike providing a convincing
portrait of dignity under pressure.
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| The
Forward Statue was destroyed by fire |
Whilst
the play is a truly local production - set in Birmingham and inspired
by the civic statue which famously went up in smoke just outside
The Rep - it is never parochial. It manages to portray working class
family without idealising or demonising them.
Forward
is far from the finished article. While the scenes are dramatic
enough on their own, they don't really build into a satisfying whole.
The plot is sometimes clumsily developed - the mother's crucial
revelation feels almost unprompted - and the symbolism is sometimes
shoe-horned in.
But
it is funny, it is true and it is about us. Go and see it. It's
showing at the Rep until 28th February.
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