You Boy reviewed - gritty Northern drama from a Beverley writer

‘You Boy’ by Joshua Meredith, East Riding Theatre, Friday July 8th.

I purposefully did no research before going to see SeeGold Productions’ ‘You Boy’. I knew that the writer, Joshua Meredith is from Beverley and therefore expected some references to the town and surrounding area; I knew it was about 2 brothers, one of whom had died, and that the location was somewhere along the M62, because that’s what the advertising told me, and I knew that it was likely to be different to the norm because that’s what we expect from East Riding Theatre.

It would have been good to have seen a few more people supporting this play, because Joshua was bringing this production to his home town, but those who were there enjoyed every minute of this gritty, fast-paced drama. It was an hour and a quarter in when I looked at my watch – time just flew by because I was so engrossed! There was, quite rightly, no interval; an interval would have totally disrupted the flow. After another 10 minutes it was all over and the two young actors who held the stage for 85 minutes took their bow to appreciative applause; it would have been entirely fitting for them to take a second bow as there was a significant number of people on their feet.

So what is the play about? It’s about love, loss, betrayal, honour, death and separation. It’s about life and its unpredictability. It’s about families, in-fighting and finding one’s place in the world.

The language is colourful as it tells the story of teenage boys who have grown up as brothers, and the situation which leads to the death of one of them, who was adopted as a baby. Scenes switch between the boys in their last year at school (wearing Longcroft School ties) and the graveyard where the surviving brother goes to share his worries with his deceased brother a couple of years later. We can see and hear the ghost but unfortunately his presence and wise words are not detectable by anyone else; the living and the dead really miss each other – death has not done either of them any favours.

The brothers are played by Oliver Burkill and Scott Harrison who must have assured futures in the acting world. The play is directed by Zach Slater who’s creative interpretation works so well in the intimate East Riding Theatre. ‘You Boy’ is touring to Liverpool, Manchester and London – do watch out for it if you were not one of the lucky few there on July 8th.

Linda Johnson.