Gagarin Way Review by Sarah Clark

Gagarin Way takes its title from a street in Fife named after the Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin and is evocatively indicative of an area infamous for its radical socialism. And in light of the recession, Gregory Burke’s award winning debut play—revived by Phil Nichol’s Comedians’ Theatre Company—could be considered to have greater relevancy now than when it was first performed in 2001.

Two factory workers—Edie and Gary—kidnap their management consultant in an attempt to communicate their angst with capitalism. The characters are motivated differently, and in representing diverse outlooks, also evident in political science graduate Tom and boss Frank, this moral play examines whether violence can ever be justified.

The theatre-in-the-round stage design is effective in creating intimacy with the audience and in conveying the vulnerability of Frank; the audience has no choice but to feel sympathy for him. This is a play performed with great humour and respect for the locality of Fife, but in a lot of ways can feel outdated; its passive acceptance of the power of capitalism now feeling slightly out of place in a post-Credit Crunch Britain.

Read Ariadne Cass-Maran's review of Gagarin Way