Review: East

East is full of brazen energy. The play is threatening and edgy, yet cocky — somewhere between A Clockwork Orange and Till Death Us Do Part, with an unexpected rich dollop of bawdy Shakespearean parody.

The playwright, Steven Berkoff, who played the policeman in the film version of Clockwork Orange, was born in the East End of London and would have known plenty of characters like Les (Russ Pirie) and Mike (Elan Zavelsky), a pair of amoral ruffians bound for TROUBLE.

The two delinquents become firm friends after surviving a brawl where they viciously slash, gouge and boot each other almost to oblivion over a disputed girlfriend, Sylv (Sarah-Jane St Clair).

Les, Mike and Sylv are young, raw and vital; they have their life before them; there are possibilities.

Mum (Simon Morrison-Baldwin) and Dad (Andre Jewson), on the other hand, have little left to hope for. Dad lives in the glory days of the Fascist past while Mum drags (literally) herself through the days and daze of her monotonous life. They represent what the three youths may become.

The play alternates between soliloquies and speeches, reveries and raves, interspersed with energetic and spellbinding mime. You could almost feel your hair blowing as the boys 'race' their motorbike through the London streets.

Music plays an important part in the play, assisting transitions between the 19 continuous scenes, adding dimension to the events and poignancy to the characters, as well as demonstrating the talents of the cast.

Most enthralling is the jumbled use of old English words and cockney slang in a verse style that, put together, conjures images of the Shakespearean stage.

This juxtaposition delivers laughter and frivolity to what otherwise could be a bleak theme. Mike's speech on the “oxford punt”, for example, parodies Shakespeare's sonnet 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day' and celebrates sex rather than romance in a titillating and audacious way.

Some might find this play a challenge — the language and the sexuality are very much in your face — but those who like a bit of vivacity and dash will enjoy it immensely.

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