Decky Does A Bronco

The original production of this play is almost the stuff of legend. Not only do audiences still talk about it with great enthusiasm, but it firmly established both writer Douglas Maxwell and company Grid Iron as two of Scotland’s, if not Britain’s, premiere theatrical talents.

So if this new production does anything, it proves without a shadow of a doubt that the original was no flash in the pan: it is theatre at its finest.

Told in flashback, the play is performed on a swing set and follows the life of a group of boys during a summer holiday. What begins as a series of frolics and adventures ends in a profound tragic event that forces the boys into maturity and haunts the survivors well into adulthood.

Maxwell’s play begins as a bittersweet lament for childhood, and with its focus on game-playing and innocence, the comparisons to Peter Pan are not unfounded. The boys act and speak as pre-pubescent children do, and the scenes are completely convincing. But Maxwell has a few tricks up his sleeve, for the end is not only as inevitable as it seems but comes with a few good twists. It is a script that is much more mature and better structured than it first appears.

And the performances are nothing short of stellar. Martin McCormick might have the most difficult role as David, as he has to not only go back and forth between playing a child and an adult but also serves as narrator, but the rest of the eight-strong cast are strong. Each plays a character much younger than their own age but does so with playful integrity. It is impossible to single any performance out.

What is easy to single out is director Ben Harrison’s direction. The way he has staged the play, from his use of the swing set to his having the action completely encompass the audience, makes for some of the most imaginative direction seen for some time. The action never lets up and is constantly surprising.

Sometimes funny, other times emotionally unnerving, Decky Does a Bronco is a brilliant production that not only lives up to its reputation but shows how powerful and inventive live performance can be. Do not miss it.

Reviewed at Cumbernauld Theatre

NB: performances are all outdoors - follow links for specific venue details. For a complete list of dates, including details of performances in Cowdenbeath, Bowhill, Kelty, Lochgelly, Ballingry, Crosshill, Fraserburgh, Aberlour, Aboyne and Leven see the Grid Iron website.