The great thing about my job is that I get to see some of the very best theatre that Sussex has to offer, and then I can shout about it afterwards and right now I feel like shouting from the rooftops.
The reason for such vocal excesses is that the Hungry Wolf Visionary Youth Theatre Company is back in town for the 2014 Brighton Fringe Festival and their latest production, The Electra Project, shows that they are better than ever!
Based on the true story of a controversial theatre production, staged in a school and performed by 15 and 16 year olds, which led to the sacking of two drama teachers, unfavourable national media coverage and a social networking “meltdown”, The Electra Project tells the tale of a group of four A-Level students who devise a modern-day version of a Greek tragedy which goes spectacularly wrong.
Ellie, played by Alice Kerrigan, is the 21st century version of Electra. She is a smouldering cauldron of unresolved anger and resentment over the separation of her parents. Having found her Mother’s secret diary, detailing the infidelity that led her father to walk out, Ellie is in no doubt who is responsible – but how will she get her revenge?
The director of the ill-fated examination production is Alfie [Harvey Cole], a young man who is desperate to prove to his sceptical father that he has what it takes to forge a career as a professional theatre director – but does he?
Alfie’s “schoolboy crush” on Ellie is played out perfectly by both actors with a slight air of sexual tension and a lot of tenderness – but could it be that love is blind to the consequences that may follow their theatre production?
The remaining two members of the group of four students are Bailey Pilbeam who takes the part of “World of Warcraft” geek, Martin and Malachi, a streetwise and cocky rough diamond of a boy who needs to pass his theatre exam because he expects to fail at everything else, played by Declan Mason.
These two get the lion’s share of the vast amount of comedy in the piece with Pilbeam correcting the others with some wonderfully “geeky” exactitudes and Mason relying on raging teenage hormones and the resulting sexual inferences to get his laughs. Their comic timing is spot on and, as I have said on previous occasions, both of them deserve to have great futures in acting.
Eden Myall, as Ellie’s wine-soaked mother, Daniel Ogilvie as the new Head Teacher, Mia Mottier as the Drama Teacher and William Robinson as the disillusioned English Teacher all add to a tremendously strong cast, as do the 14 members of the Greek Chorus who lead us through the story in simultaneously spoken rhyming verse.
Over the past three years I have been very quick to praise this phenomenal company of young actors for their ability, professionalism and for the quality of their productions. During this time I have used just about every superlative to describe the productions that they deliver, so here goes again! For an incredible night of superb theatre, delivered by the cream of young Sussex actors and staged by an incredibly talented creative team look no further than the Hungry Wolf Visionary Theatre Company – they are, quite simply, the very best and the Edinburgh Festival is very lucky to be hosting this production from August 18th – 23rd.
***** Five Stars