In a hilarious addition to their already award-winning repertoire, Mischief Theatre’s production of Groan Ups saw its small but mighty cast effortlessly blend physical and verbal comedy, resulting in a show of perfectly dramatized chaos. 

Following a group of six-year-olds navigating their way through school and into adulthood, the ‘Class of 2004’ had the audience at Coventry’s Belgrade Theatre erupting with laughter at each eagerly awaited gag. Dotted with familiar pop culture references, the underlying question ‘Do we choose who we become?’ took a backseat, in favour of the immersive nature of the production, which allowed the audience to identify with a hyperbolic representation of their own education experience. 

Starting off strong, the opening scene was one of the most memorable. Not one of the cast fell short of emanating the innocence and unpredictability of young children, retelling ‘What we did at the weekend.’ But their ability to remain in character whilst delivering some of the most innuendo-laden lines of adult humour was by far the most impressive feat.

The first half of the play grew from strength to strength, weaving through awkward teenage relationships and high-school bullying. Huge credit must be given to Fly Davis’s set design, as it sparked conversation even before the lights went down. Ingeniously, the props gradually decreased in size as the play continued, cleverly indicating the character’s ageing, along with their change in voice and costume design (thanks to the work of Roberto Surace). 

As the interval beckoned, hints at the action to come became more apparent. A crescendo of tension took the audience by surprise, with dramatic music and a single spotlight closing in on Archie (Daniel Abbott) unknowingly sabotaging the future of best pal Spencer (Dharmesh Patel).  The curtain fell, and despite the increased suspense, I spent the interval singing the praises of such an amusing production.

To say I was disappointed by the second half would be an immense overstatement, but it did, unfortunately, fall slightly short of matching its predecessor. Progressing into adulthood, the plot retained its witty yet slapstick aspect but took an unexpected darker route. In answer to the advertised question ‘Is the story of our lives already written?,’ for the characters of Groan Ups, this was all too true. The trajectory of their lives had undoubtedly been affected by their childhoods, with Simon (Matt Cavendish) exemplifying this most convincingly. Becoming a self-confessed ‘n*b,’ who still attempted to win the respect of his school bullies was the most believable outcome. 

For those sharing the limelight with Matt, however, their outcomes seemed a little reductive. Although they had grown up, there was a sense that not much character development had happened between the points in life portrayed on stage. Particularly, elements of the ending intended for yet more laughter could have, in my opinion, been spared. For example, the introduction of the character Chemise (Jamie Birkett) was admittedly, very comical and enjoyed by those around me. Nevertheless, I could not help noticing that her exaggerated Geordie accent was an unnecessary indicator of her stupidity – her lack of intelligence and position as an outsider of Bloomfield school was comparable to Paul (Killian Macardle) who did not sound dissimilar to the other actors on stage.

Nonetheless, overall, the production was truly brilliant, and the couple of hours I spent as an engrossed spectator flew by. Purely on the basis that I did not see a single audience member leave without a smile on their face, I would highly recommend this production – or any of Mischief Theatre’s – for anyone looking for a good laugh. Despite not being my favourite element, the poignancy of the line ‘They’re beautiful aren’t they… the lives we don’t live’ is one that will stick with me for some time. For these characters, much like any of us, childhood encompasses a wishful feeling of becoming anything we want to be. Unfortunately for characters such as Archie, Spencer, and Katie (Lauren Samuels), this is not realised. Or perhaps what they really wanted was not what they imagined they did. 

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