Max Wilkinson‘s Night City is a dramatic exploration of the highs and lows of London’s gig economy, seen through the eyes of a cab driver, a waitress and a carer.
In just 90 minutes, Ebenezer Bamgboye’s fast-paced production allows a three-person cast to portray numerous supporting characters who populate the main stories of Jack (Jack Ambrose), Tia (Bex Smith) and Tamara (Helena Pipe).
When we were invited into the rehearsal room recently, we were shown the opening scene and a mock-up of the staging by Olivia Jamieson- a sequence of floor-to-ceiling chains with lights threading through them. It offers its own comment on being trapped or confined.
Jack works for GoGo Cars, who value money above driver or customer safety. He’s single, self-absorbed, and set to die young. Tia has dreams of writing and finding love (Jack predicts the city will “eat you up”).
And Tamara? A singer at heart, she has bounced between jobs before finding she is good at caring for people – but a new management regime is about to change all that.
Night City is first and foremost a piece of digital theatre, choreographed by Rose Ryan. It offers considerable intimacy: sometimes delicate, often menacing, always intriguing.
Across more than 40 scenes we visit numerous locations and meet around 25 supplementary characters. Without props and with very minimal changes in attire, the actors have to work hard to make us believe and keep us on board – and they do.
Referring to the playtext afterwards, I realised I had missed some of the play’s nuances and characters, and throughout I didn’t really feel a strong connection with Jack’s hedonism and arrogance. Tia and Tamara have stronger arcs and are more relatable.
The London gig economy of zero-hour contracts, unrealistic targets, profit-chasing, and underhand surveillance offers considerable scope for Night City to deliver a punchy, funny, and gut-wrenching experience.
Although I appreciate much of this was inspired by Wilkinson’s own working experience, the cumulative effect can be overwhelming and dilute some of the important stories. A couple of characters (Scatter, Tamara’s son; Pfizer, the kinky pop star) don’t add that much.
But, Night City is a play that will surprise you. It takes issues that are very urgent and current and uniquely presents them. It’s very urban, broadly intense, and passionately political.
I’m giving this 4*. It rewards attention and offers something fresh to the debate, and some overfamiliar stories. I recommend checking it out.
Night City continues at Southwark Playhouse Borough’s Little space until 3 Oct.
Photo credit: Lidia Crisafulli