A bold and emotional statement about the core issue of the play, 'Road', is that it is a powerful critique of Thatcher's Britain, written in anger at the neglect and poverty of the time. This is a play that punches hard, and Johnny Vegas is at the forefront of this bitter riposte. The production is a bold vision, spilling out of the auditorium and into the wider building, with actors performing sketches of working-class life in the corners. This extends the playwright's slice-of-life portrait, suggesting that the community is not just living around one Lancashire road in 1986, but in and around us. The director's approach to the actors is equally bold, setting them off at a fast simmer and heating them to boiling point. Johnny Vegas, playing Scullery, is measured and pugnacious, punching out his introductions to a short-fuse cast of characters. However, this play's bitter tone is not diminished, as the characters dream of the beauty of Otis Redding's 'Try a Little Tenderness' while locking their own beauty away. The production is exuberant, abrasive, and giddily theatrical, making it a powerful and thought-provoking piece of theatre. But here's where it gets controversial... Is the play's fragmented structure a strength or a weakness? And this is the part most people miss... The play's collage of unrelated monologues and two-handers makes it easier to be impressed than to care. So, what do you think? Do you agree or disagree with this interpretation? Voice your opinion in the comments below.
