Fans of The League of Gentlemen will be disappointed to learn at no point in her new play does author and performer Liz Richardson ask the audience, "are you Local ?"
Local is an autobiographical work which is also geographical and generational. Richardson notices her daughter has begun to display personality traits similar to her own. This prompts consideration of the factors which influence personal development and whether birthplace generates a sense of pride or belonging that helps shape identity.
Richardson returns to her hometown to discuss the issues with family and friends conscious, as noted by her daughter, of her tendency to exaggerate for the sake of a good punchline. Bittersweet recollections include stuffing chicken fillets down her teenage bra to simulate a prominent bust. But Richardson also becomes aware of time passing and that one generation is replaced by another, leading to an anxiety attack as she contemplates the impact of inevitable parental death.
Local meanders gently around the themes rather than tackles them directly. Points arise as Richardson reads embarrassing teenage diary extracts or demonstrates dance moves dreamt up with friends. The panic attack, so strong as to cause the demolition of the stage set, is completely unexpected in such a laid-back show.
Richardson picks up on the contradictions involved in reviewing the quality and influence of a hometown. Although she was born in a picturesque part of the UK, Richardson’s father worked at Sellafield nuclear plant, and she attended one of the first and biggest comprehensive schools in the country. Meeting her old headmaster and hearing him speak of trying to inspire pupil aspirations, she has to acknowledge the process failed in her case.
Despite the observational nature of the material, director Amy Hailwood (who devised the show with Richardson) does not let Local descend into stand-up comedy or a dry monologue. The theatrical flourishes (including film projections from TripleDotMakers and Lizzy Leech’s messy teenage bedroom set) are, in accordance with the back to basics tone of the show, rough and homemade rather than slick and sophisticated. The humour is not limited to verbal, with Richardson gamely replicating a nonsensical (but energetic) dance routine devised as a teen.
Richardson acknowledges the influences of social class, with one interviewee pointing out children arriving at school via bus were automatically assumed to be coming from a better neighbourhood. As is often the case, Local tends to raise rather than resolve issues so is occasionally unsettling. Richardson acknowledges her parents are happy in the family home without the family, so occasionally home can be about the place, not the people. She is conscious her daughter, who is a reluctant performer, would be mortified by the personal nature of the show.
While Richardson avoids obvious nostalgia prompts ("eee, remember when…") she does not hesitate to exploit audience sentimentality. The concluding sequence is shamelessly manipulative and really does draw 'awws' from the audience.
Local is Richardson’s most engaging work to date, successfully using personal and subjective points to make a universal connection with the audience.