Writer: Act II
Director: Amy Tickner
Neverland may not be the best rave that you’ve ever been to but it’s still a pretty decent party. What makes the experience especially pleasing is that at Neverland no one preaches about the danger of drugs or the threat of strangers. Everyone is in it together, an appropriate motto for a devised piece of theatre.
The fun starts as you step over a club casualty sprawled out on the ground at the entrance of the theatre. A steely security guard (Yuqi Liang) monitors the audience. Her attitude may be fierce but her job is to make sure that everyone knows at least one other person. DJ Dee Jay (Ansh Mehta) is already spinning his tunes on his deck.
Devised by ACT II, a group of young creatives, the play begins with a striking image. The cast makes a figure of a raver from the clothes they find in a bag of lost property; a pair of trainers, red trackie bottoms, a blue jacket and a bucket hat. He begins to dance to the music. This puppet, which reappears several times, casts a spell on the whole show.
Formatted like a revue, the skeleton of a story is fleshed out by monologues by the performers, each playing a familiar character from dance culture. There is the hippy (Brooke Camilleri Agius) with fairy wings attached to her back who thinks she knows everything; the woman ( Maddie Elle Dunn) who’s addicted to TikTok, filming everything to upload later; and the lad (Paddy Linton) in the football kit who’s there for the beers and the beats.
Some of the skits are more successful than others. The initiation workshop seems a clunky way to begin, especially after the wonder of the raver coming to life. Throughout, the cast’s attempts to engage the audience in participation mainly fall flat and early scenes are slowed down by the performers coming on and off stage through a Glastonbury-style tent.
However, a duet between DJ Dee Jay and a raver (Drew Greg) whose father has recently died is unexpectedly moving. Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams, a perennial TikTok favourite, may be an obvious choice but the two performers’ stripped-down approach is delightful. From here on in, cheered by the song, Neverland comes together.
Interspersed amid the monologues are some dances and while each segment goes on for a tad too long, the lights and the steps demonstrate the community spirit found in Rave. The cast has such a good time, that it’s impossible not to share in their excitement.
The most amoral examination of the rave culture comes in the 1999 film Human Traffic which follows the weekend of a group of friends in Wales. Act II’s Neverland shares the film’s ethos in showing that it’s perfectly safe to go out and have a good time if you’re careful enough and that other partyers, even if you never see them again, are there to help and befriend you.
Act II’s festival may only be an hour long, but the performers make some lovely shapes on the dance floor. It’s rough around the edges, but at its heart, Neverland is a celebration.
Runs until 28 October 2023
