The play is a comedy that sees another mid-teen, Sid Mitchell's Tom, trying to make up his mind about his own sexuality. For the duration of the play, he vacillates between tough Amy, a self-mutilator played by Claire-Louise Cordwell, and a selection of men. This being Ravenhill, his choice will not be a shock.
Mark Ravenhill, in far more accessible mood than The Cut, makes the most of the comic possibilities, but with sensitivity. He introduces us to Gay Gary, a permanently high rasta, confusingly but impressively played by the white Matt Smith and belying his name as he proves to be straight. By way of contrast, Tom's shy but incredibly stressed teacher (Richard Dempsey) is not but cannot let on to a pupil.
Teenagers will love this play and in particular the life skills learned by inarticulate, gum-chewing teenaged girls who are left holding the (plastic) baby for a week at a time. Their different reactions are both telling and extremely funny.
For Amy, the life skills soon become reality but perhaps pleasingly, this is the making of her as she finally finds an occupation that takes her mind off her own woes. This may be a little convenient dramatically but at the end of such a hard-hitting evening, that is no bad thing.
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