NSFW

Lucy Kirkwod
Macaroon Productions
C Nova

An amusing hour that doesn’t quite empower the audience the way the script dictates

NSFW by Macaroon Productions is a mixed bag where plays are concerned. It has comedy, an interesting storyline and some good acting but the meaning and purpose gets muddied somewhere in the midst of it all.

The first two scenes are set in a modern day office for raunchy lad’s mag Doghouse. All hell breaks loose when the editor, Aidan (Christian Bevan), is told his new pin-up girl is actually a fourteen-year-old adolescent and her father is on his way to give him a piece of his mind.

This sets up the remainder of the play as accusations fly and a conclusion must be found. The last third of the production is set in the Electra offices, a more female-orientated magazine, run by editor Miranda (Laura McIvor).

In this section the writer’s (Lucy Kirkwood) stance on racy publications is more subtly brought to light but the blatant feminist view point almost distracts as the editor herself turns into a sister suffragette at the end of the piece.

Bevan’s portrayal of Aidan lacks the power required for the role. In a real-life situation, you can’t help but feel that Bevan’s Aidan would get trod on by others in the office. Special commendation must go to Rory McIvor for his hilarious characterisation of the posh and slightly arrogant Rupert. His light relief breaks the weighty conversation down and makes the piece seem more comedic than preachy.

There are many storylines touched on at the start of the play that seem to disappear as soon as the girl’s father (played by Christopher Evans) arrives on the scene. The possibility of a trip to the Arctic for one of the journalists or a wedding proposal left unanswered all leave the audience wishing for conclusions.

The piece is not quite the polished artefact it could be in time but, with a little bit more digging around the subject matter, this production could make front page news.

Reviewer: Liam Blain

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