one4review | On 02, Aug 2013

****

A group of five people, three of them traffic wardens, are pursued by a rioting mob and seek refuge in their unofficial clubhouse. They can’t leave safely, no one seems to be coming to help them, and there isn’t a loo.

This is a hugely engaging piece of comic drama which offers so much food for thought that there’s barely time to properly digest one piece of applied sociology before the next insight is delivered. It’s not in the least didactic, and there is no ‘message’ or final conclusion, but it elegantly explores the minutiae of social relations in Britain. The experiences of the traffic wardens are the same as everyone else’s, only they’re magnified.

The whole cast are superb, with no single member dominating the rest, the narrative has good pace and rhythm, and the dialogue never feels unreal. There is genuinely hilarious verbal and physical comedy, set off by well-pitched poignancy.

Insightful social comment combined with comedy and drama.

Reviewed by Laura

Assembly Roxy 15:30