Empty

It is the end of the school year and Cal’s parents are off to London, leaving him alone for the weekend. He asks the girl of his dreams if she wants to come over, but rather than coming alone she asks half the school along to have a massive party. Shenanigans ensue.

Not one thing occurs that hasn’t been seen in the countless films and TV programmes with the same set-up, and the dialogue sounds at best forced, like someone trying to be cool and throwing in the occasional line of lingo in hopes that they’re right in its use.

There is the rare humorous moment and a single attempt within the plot to add a bit of weight, but these in the end come off as desperate attempts to salvage a production that is pretty much dead on arrival.

Vicky Featherstone does the best she can with the material. Her staging is a mixture of radio drama and Brechtian practices, with the company of five making a cacophony of noise to create the ambiance of a larger, out-of-control party. These staging techniques are actually quite interesting, even entertaining, and make for some genuine good moments, but they at best make the production tolerable.