Sam Grabiner’s debut play Boys on the Verge of Tears won the 2022 Verity Bargate Award and now opens at Soho Theatre.
It is a mature and brutal work, perhaps summed up by a character in the final scene: “You’ve a body … that has the potential for great violence. And great tenderness too.”
There are 39 characters across the 100-minute running time, played by a core cast of five. This necessitates a huge range of acting skills, and quick costume changes, all done seamlessly.
Directed by veteran James Macdonald and designed by Ashley Martin-Davis (set and costumes), Boys on the Verge of Tears is set in a gents’ public loo, which becomes different settings by virtue of lighting and sound changes (Peter Mumford and Ian Dickinson).
It starts in a light vein, as a dad (David Carlyle) champions his unseen son to use the toilet on his own for the first time. Parents will recognise the banter and the exasperation. It sets the audience at ease and makes us laugh.
There are three ‘movements’ in this play, each shorter than the last. The first starts with the boy learning to wee and ends with unease.
A tween pair (Calvin Demba and Maanuv Thiara) play with their bodies; a teenage duo (Matthew Beard and Thiara) tell and react to a story of sexual assault recounted as a badge of honour.
Small moments with large meanings. The set is grimy but fully utilised. Adults like Tom Espiner’s Billy Bonkers interact awkwardly with boys, and eventually, there’s acts of defiance and violence.
Movement two, subtitled “today”, has one constant, Demba’s Jo, who may or may not be gay, but who definitely needs help. Those who come in often ignore him. If they don’t, we doubt their motives.
There’s a nice bit for two drag queens here (Carlyle and Thiara), who preen and primp around the sinks and chatter. By the third act we’ve ventured a little into the fantastical before a bluntly realistic medical emergency plays out.
Finally, after all the activity, confessions, and quick stop-offs in the stalls have ceased, with the clean-up finished and a sense of quiet, a stepfather (Espiner) nearing the end of his life needs help from his step-son. It’s a lovely, poignant scene.
Along the way of this circle of life we have watched exploration, flirting, drug-taking, fighting, and more. Fight and intimacy co-ordinator Enric Ortuño should be commended for guiding the actors into some realistic scenes, while Becky Rungen’s make-up is fantastic.
This is a play that connects on so many levels while leaving us wanting to know more about those who pass through those grubby doors. It puts a sharp spotlight on male behaviour and expectation of what a man ‘should’ be.
I look forward to seeing more from this playwright, and I applaud all the cast for their teamwork and energy in bringing this important and intelligent new play to the stage.
Boys on the Verge of Tears continues at Soho Theatre until 18 May with tickets here.
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Image credit: Marc Brenner