Show and Tell

Not just anybody can be a part of National Theatre Connections: competition is fierce, and countrywide, to be part of this touring festival of Youth Theatre.

So it's a coup for City College to be part of it. The play they chose was Laline Paull's “Show and Tell”, a comic study of teenage peer pressure. Paull's chief experience is as a screenwriter, and it “tells” in the writing. The quick fire dialogue had the understatement of film and some moments were not drawn fully enough to capture the audience. Jokes whistled past without hitting the ear.

Theatricality developed, however, in the imaginative staging: I loved the way the five main characters were played by a rotating cast, so that the actor playing the scapegoat eventually took the part of the class hero and vice versa. Not only did this make an interesting comment on the nature of youth and the transience of the roles we play in it, but it was also fun to watch such a talented team each raising the stakes on the other's performance.

Catch it while you can, at The Garage between 24 and 26 April.