REVIEW: PHALANX at Lion & Unicorn Theatre 25 – 28 June 2024

"All we have, and all we'll ever have, is us." ★★★★

"I love you, but you're being f*cking stupid right now"—that sums up much of the interactions between the boys of Phalanx, a cleverly written ensemble piece that allows all seven actors to shine.

A coach-load of hormonal teenagers travelling to a five-a-side championship game is stranded in the continental wilderness. The show begins with their trainer pissing off—"Scream if you need help"—and the vaguely ominous sound of a locking door. No signal, no supervision but plenty of smuggled-in vodka floating around: What could possibly go wrong? "Whether we like it or not, we're on this f*cking bus."

With all seven characters on stage at all times, Phalanx is a play that will stand or fall by its performances. Under David Frias-Robles' direction, these are uniformly excellent. The ensemble's commitment and specificity never flag. Whether monologuing in the spotlight or sitting quietly near the back, each performer's emotional arc is always crystal clear. Mason Dhokia's wordless breakdown, staring silently out front, is a highlight.

The simple staging—two white lines to mark the edges of the coach, filled with rows of folding chairs from front to back—shifts the seven players neatly in and out of focus. A trick was missed, perhaps, by not paying more attention to the rules of the space: If you kick off a show by "locking" your cast in, you should probably keep them consistently within the lines of their prison. And with some boys later fleeing into the woods for mental breaks, there's more to be made of how exiting the bus changes the space.

Writer-performer Alex Ansdell's script adeptly pulls off the ebb and flow of group dynamics, the lighting-quick status changes of the schoolyard (well, bus). Ansdell lets his characters swing from crude to sweet, vicious to apologetic, isolated to included. For much of the evening, those who are cruel are allowed to redeem themselves; those who are targeted are pulled back into the fold. In a show that comes with trigger warnings about sexual assault, Ansdell does a fantastic job of threading the needle and making the audience wonder what's banter and what isn't. Homophobia, dick jokes, peer pressure are usually nuanced by 2024 sensibilities and essential decency.

Only twice did Phalanx's writing feel, well, written. The first is a stylized section set in Ancient Greece, which makes explicit the title's metaphor but as yet seems disjointed from the rest of the play. The second is in the climax—the character at its centre gave a powerful performance, but those around him often seemed to be speaking the themes, rather than their thoughts. With the subject matter involved, that probably comes from a desire to get it right, but Ansdell's text could trust a little more to the actors' abilities to convey everything needed with fewer, and perhaps less careful, lines.

But this is a layered, touching (and very funny) script served by a stellar cast. So abandon your Euro watch parties for one night and come support a different kind of football-themed evening.

Photo credit: Emily Foxton @foxton.photos

PHALANX at Lion & Unicorn Theatre 25 – 28 June 2024

Box Office https://www.thelionandunicorntheatre.com/whats-on

CAST
Ant: Mason Dhokia

Clark: Gruff Williams

Daniel: Alex Ansdell

Jonno: Isaac Gray

Steph: Rufaro Mada

Tim: Haydn Watts

Xavier: Will Darvin

CREATIVE TEAM

Written by: Alex Ansdell

Directed by: David Frias-Robles

Produced by: Ellie McCoy

Sound design and tech: Sophie Telfer