Joint - Hit and Miss
Comedy
Seriously, if you are looking for subtlety or sophistication give this one a miss. However, if you want to throw yourself into a world in which many young adults live then you might want to have a look.
It is not easy to watch or listen to and it is only moderately successful as a “Slice of Life” experience but it makes you think and wonder about this generation and whether when everyone speaks the same language and nobody is judging or offended by each other’s behaviour, then is it abusive or just the norm?
This company was trying to provide dialogue which is natural and flows seamlessly within the context of the characters in the play. The director and writer have given the actors a great deal of freedom to explore the reality of situations and create authentic dialogue. However, they don’t seem to have a strong enough sense of what it is they are trying to say to pull it off. They push boundaries to try and bring us to an exciting and gripping emotional place but the result is that they lose track of the story and its potential impact. What we end up with is frequently out of control, which may be what they were trying to achieve but without some sense of where you are going or why it’s just out of control. Bravo!
There is a reason that structure and script are the starting point for storytelling. It is the framework in which the story, the theme or whatever it is that you are trying to impart gets told. Breaking convention actually requires a very experienced hand in order to move the audience on the journey desired without alienating them. Blasting them with emotion and sound, although it is an experience, may not provide the result you desire and in this case I think it is missing the mark.
Having said all that, there is some dialogue between all the gratuitous swearing and yelling that helps tell the story. This piece is about a lot of horny people sleeping with each other or wanting to sleep with each other, consequently some masturbation, lots of smoking pot, drinking and getting high. Well, surprise somebody gets pregnant and “spoils” all the fun.
Fucking, clearly it had to come!
So, if you can handle all the drumming, swearing and yelling and not be overwhelmed or offended by it, then the reason to see this piece is to take a peek into the world that these young people inhabit. They are living a life where people do yell and throw things around (even people) and smoke, drink and fuck each other both physically and figuratively.
CREDITS: Produced by Desperate Measures