The Detention provided its fair share of giggles, but whether that was a result of humour or awkwardness is up for debate.
There were undoubtedly many merits to this production: if looks could kill, then Liz Freeman’s mean girl character, Sasha, certainly slayed. Stanley Toyne’s portrayal of stern teacher Mr Fairton was also exceptional; he commanded the stage with a God-like presence (if God had a somewhat temperamental speaker system, that is). The standout performance was definitely Seth Olner’s hilariously clueless depiction of misunderstood jock Thomas. Similar to how his character failed to miss a goal, Olner’s lines scored a laugh every time, his (hopeful) pretence to be oblivious adding a layer of comic relief that was desperately needed to offset the hard-hitting themes of the play.
While there is much to be commended in the show, I must admit I found it to be reminiscent of my GCSE theatre days. As the writers packed a hearty number of witty one-liners into the script, so too did they include a tooth-ache inducing pick-and-mix of mental illnesses. I fear the phrase ‘on the nose’ doesn’t quite cover it, with the script attempting to be so didactic that not only did we witness a detention, but an actual lecture on the plethora of mental health concerns that appeared within the final act of the production.
Perhaps it is envy that taints my view, but I found the sporadic way in which each character took turns to have a sudden epiphany to cause mild whiplash. In quick succession, every member of the group both admitted their deep-seated troubles to their peers and then miraculously had a revelation leading them to find a solution to their problems and accept their true selves. These monologues were of course all accompanied by a somewhat effective soundtrack of intense breathing and echoing heartbeats (a soundtrack that perhaps would have been less jarring without the inclusion of some slightly off-putting ASMR provided by none other than Mr Fairton from backstage).
Of course, any good student production would not be complete without a fantastic finale to shock and surprise the audience. The Detention offered this in the form of a spontaneous dance break, because what else could encapsulate the morals of this story but the expressive language of dance?
Ultimately, although I must credit the cast and crew for tackling such complex themes, I must stress the need for some tact when bombarding the audience with a jerking rollercoaster ride of emotions. At its core, The Detention is a moral story of self-acceptance and the value of sharing your burdens without fear of judgement. On the surface, the delivery of this moral needs some fine-tuning, but at least we could laugh our way through these occasional stumbles.
