BU21

Outhouse Theatre Company’s mesmerising production of Stuart Slade’s play BU21 at the Old 505 Theatre is a fascinating, compelling piece of theatre-not to be missed, directed by Erin Taylor and produced by Jeremy Waters. Slade’s play was first performed in London at the Theatre 503, in 2016, then transferred to the West End, in co-production with Kuleshov.

BU21 is a dark satirical play, full of unexpected humour, tragedy, emotional trauma and a terrifying tale of the suffering of six individuals, suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the aftermath of an act of terrorism, following a plane being shot down by an anti-aircraft missile in West London. The play is the story of six ‘survivors’ of the terrorist attack.

The play is composed of six interwoven monologues between a brilliant ensemble cast of

Jessica-Belle Keogh (Ana), Skyler Ellis (Alex), Emily Havea (Thalissa), Bardiya McKinnon (Clive), Whitney Richards (Floss) and Jeremy Waters (Graham) as the main protagonist.

Their story-telling is compelling, terrifying, traumatic, explosive and funny to watch.

Set in an affluent part of West London, the cast members’ accents were faultless.

The cast become members of a survivors group; their performances hit on both the emotional states of the performers and the audience. All the feelings, fears and questions resonated with the audience with their electrifying performances.

The set was a bare stage, with minimalist set design by Tom Bannerman. The performance space was cloaked and draped in a vast black curtain with a triangular cut in the curtain backstage facing the audience. The lighting through the cut changed fbetween blue, green and yellow hues.

The stage floor was tiled in a grey and white splash-like concrete. Plastic chairs are set onstage, with some lying on floor upside down on their side signifying destruction of the crash. A trolley for the survivor group meetings is set in the corner and a wheelchair is used for Ana’s scenes. The performance starts off with the loud sound of an airliner crash.

Outhouse Theatre’s production questions our own thoughts on mortality, survival and death.

It questions how we would survive and gain strength if we faced the same situation and dilemmas. Highly recommended for an eventful night of excellent theatre and performances that give credit to the script, with unexpected humour. Great cast, great script, it was a blast of a night out!

Review by Charlotte Hanson.