mad about the boy

Moira+I went to The Studio at the Bristol Old Vic last night to see this impressive, short play (only 50 minutes long) by Gbolahan Obisesan. It was the winner of an Edinburgh Fringe First Award 2011 and, on last night’s showing, deservedly so. Just three characters: Boy (Bayo Gbadamosi), Dad (Jason Barnett) and Man (Simon Darwen). The boy is black, bright and feisty, but attracted by the lure of being bad ; Dad wants the best for his son, but is at a bit of a loss; the Man (a school counsellor) wants the boy to make the right choices, but is up against the boy’s perceived peer pressures.

Powerful drama, made even more so by the simple, effective stage direction and the direct rat-tat-tat dialogue.
Feel lucky to have caught this as it’s only in Bristol for three days (tonight’s the last night).