Sherman Cymru, Cardiff
Kate Tempest's play for Paines Plough about three friends in their mid 20s marking the anniversary of another's death sets itself two pretty hefty challenges. The first is writing about that perennial, well-covered theme: hitting disillusionment with adulthood after the hedonistic freedoms of adolescence. The second is form. Her drama mixes rap-style poetry delivered with microphones and self-reflexive addresses to the audience ("I don't have a clue what any of you are doing here") with acted out scenes over the course of a day.
The result is an ingenious whole that's funny and true about growing up, getting wasted and – as they gather round a tree planted to remember their friend – wasting life. Tempest's writing oscillates between dynamic poetry that's full of vividly phrased acute observation and dialogue that's plainer but just as spot-on. Performances are terrific: Lizzy Watts as teacher Charlotte ("I woke up one morning and was basically my Nan"); Ashley George as musician Danny, who hangs out at Peckham parties where people have "adjectives instead of names" and never quite manages the changes he promises to make to his life; and especially Cary Crankson as Ted, old before his time and keen to break free from his desk job and trips to Ikea.
James Grieve's fine production matches the energy of the writing, and the movement between rap and drama is fluid rather than jolting. Cai Dyfan's stark set design aids this, as does music by Kwake Bass, but films shown on a huge screen fringed by banks of speakers are curiously underplayed and rather hard to see. It's the only off note in an otherwise very exciting new play.