About A Goth

Encouraging as it is to see PPP team up with Paines Plough, the company that supported Sarah Kane, this short piece never really escapes from a rather easy mockery of The Goth. A one man tale of small town alienation, it captures the goth as he realises that there is more to life than ennui, self-harm and wearing a big, stupid cape.

While there are some nice lines - the death of an old man is handled tenderly, and the throwaways about the alienated lifestyle are witty - there is no real attempt to get beneath the black eye-make up and the conversion from Dark Prince to Ideal Son is sentimental. The audience love the absurdity of the character, and it is, as always, performed with aplomb. Yet the script lacks both a satirical edge and sincere compassion, always feeling like the writer was looking in on a lifestyle that made no sense to him.

Another diverting hour nevertheless, and a hopeful foray into material that could expand the audience for theatre: sadly, it fails to fully engage due to the distance bewteen subject and script.