Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Cast: Louis Carrington, Floriana Dezou, Faye Donnellan, Tom Isted, Neve Kelman, Alexandre King, Charlie Knowles, Alex Meredith, Eion McKenna, Kwame Owusu, Jenna Sian O’Hara, Sam Ress-Baylis, Daryl Rowlands.
No matter what type of community you grew up in, the large sprawling metropolis, the neatly bordered and hedge-trimmed village or the new town with no discernible history, you either embrace its place in your own story or you run away from it, perhaps through the weight of expectation or because you have seen through its soul and wish to be somewhere else that you can call home. However, the chances are that whatever the place you reside there is a growing feeling of unease, of mounting anxiety amongst the young, and their belief that that they no longer recognise their place in society, or how to fix the despair that comes with toxic masculinity.
It takes courage to recognise the symptoms in a society which has for thousands of years put some traits down to nothing more than boys being boys, and whilst girls also can display measures of their own version of toxicity, it is a generation of boys which is reaping the effects of the bad habits that have become inherent in the system and to which we must concentrate on breaking down, not to destroy strength of character, but to nurture the belief that it is O.K. to show feelings, to talk to someone about the Lost Boys and how we must all embrace a new attitude in our cities, villages and towns.
Luke Barnes’ Lost Boys is both an embracing tonic and an insightful warning of the perils of letting boys and men believe they have to live up to certain stereotypes which are harmful, neglectful and painful to those that witness it, and to those who find themselves in that train of thought.
Luke Barnes has once again created a piece of theatre that goes beyond the expected, a series of vignettes and interlocking stories connected by the narration and explanation of one lad on the verge of discovery and reason, that the town he is from is one that holds the key to release from such negative opinion, that he can see the problem and wants to somehow fix it.
With tremendous performances from the entire company, and with a script that touches several nerves amongst all ages who will ultimately enjoy and reflect upon the several messages that the writer, cast and crew have put in place. A play that touches upon modern concerns without pulling back from the brink of damage, Luke Barnes has once again placed trust and fortitude down as a marker of today’s society, and with the hope that we can effect change in the smallest way.
Ian D. Hall