Set in a classroom, we follow five characters from their meeting in primary school to 13-year-olds in the midst of exam season, and finally reuniting as 30-somethings.
Every character is heavily stereotyped from bossy Moon played by Yolanda Ovide, to swotty Katie played by Lauren Samuels. But thanks to a solid cast, they’re all engaging and garner consistent laughs, whether they’re innocently telling you about their weekend and repeating things that are best left unsaid, or letting hormones take over as teenagers. While the writing in correlation to their ages is questionable – at the risk of sounding incredibly naive, are 13-year-olds really that sex crazed? – the cast do a great job of physically transitioning through the age groups, and retaining the essence of their character in adult form.
Despite being a comedy, the chronology tests the thesis that your character never evolves past primary school which is somewhat disheartening. While obviously not endorsing his treatment, Simon (Matt Cavendish) pinning his dickish behaviour on his mistreatment decades ago is grating, especially when he’s effectively rewarded for it by getting what he was chasing all through school at the end. Speaking of the end, the dramatic tone shift – while heavily signposted throughout- means the audience leaves in a more sombre mood than anticipated.
Fortunately, Jamie Birkett livens up the final act with a brilliant performance as Chemise, a geordie wanna-be actress hired as a fake girlfriend.
Fly Davis’s initial oversized set is brilliant, reminding the audience how large things seemed when you were that young, and creating a humorously alien environment, aided by the disembodied voice of their teacher.
Ultimately Groan Ups deviates from Mischief’s tried and tested farcical format without the same level of comedic success.
Groan Ups is showing at the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry until 5th March. Find tickets here https://www.belgrade.co.uk/events/groan-ups/
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Katie Reviews 