Why is the Sky Blue? – Southwark Playhouse

Sophie Alibert and cast members of Why Is The Sky Blue? at Southwark Playhouse, London. Picture: Marc Brenner

Why is the Sky Blue? continues at Southwark Playhouse, London until 19 May 2018.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

Tucked away in Elephant and Castle on the ground floor of a non-descript 70s office block is Southwark Playhouse, which continues to host some of the most interesting London theatre, at prices a fraction of what one pays in the West End.

Whether it is a revival of an American musical with casts with pedigrees in the West End, or new work with up and coming actors, it never fails to deliver.

Why is the Sky Blue? seems an eyebrow-raising proposition.  Billed as an exploration of love, relationships and pornography with a cast aged 6-22, one wonders to the suitability of exposing the younger members of the cast to the latter subject matter. That it does so with taste, sensitivity   and intelligence is a tribute to this little gem of a production.

Director, lyricist and author Abbey Wright found the impetus for the piece in the young offenders she worked with in her early 20s. Struck by the influence of pornography on the way they presented themselves and how it impacted on their relationships saddened her, and reflections over ten years led to the research for this piece. In conjunction with many regional theatres and youth groups and after many hours of discussion, interviews and age appropriate questioning, lyrics and the dialogue were fashioned by Abbey and her dramaturg and author Shireen Mula and composer, author and MD Matt Regan set the lyrics to music.

With no specific characters it’s difficult to know who is playing who, but the young man who jauntily opens the proceedings sets us at ease by talking about himself. Seated on chairs the cast wear headphones, which one suspects is to shield the younger members of the cast from the more mature material, later referred to as ‘age inappropriate’.

With cast members expressing their own lives and composites from the many hours of research the piece has a documentary feel, but is never dull or preachy. The delicate underscoring of Regan’s piano accompanies songs on topics like masturbation, anal sex, rape and the premise that pornography is for men, whether gay, straight, transgender, or lesbian.

There are one-to-one interviews from time to time, played so well it’s impossible to tell whether they are acting, improvising or being fed cues in their headsets. The young seven year old is poignant and sensitively handled when interviewed by a teenager on when she first saw something on her sister’s phone that disturbed her.

Pornography for special tastes with role playing is covered humorously. The gradual realisation that one is transgender is played without self pity or remorse. The ease of overcoming parental blocks on the internet. Porn addiction and the realisation of the harm it causes. Humour with how to tell when someone fancies you or how a gentleman should behave.

The voices sing beautifully and the music ranges from rounds to five-part harmonies. One of the older female characters has a beautiful solo, and there are voices in the group that will feature in years to come. And a rousing finale titled ‘Inappropriate’, the get out word most parents use to avoid discussion, is appropriate. The design by James Turner is simple and effective, and beautifully lit but uncredited.

It’s a tight 70 minutes, moving and entertaining. Tackroom  Theatre must be applauded for its bravery. Go see this piece and talk about it. It’s fun, entertaining and a dialogue that needs to happen.

Leon Ferguson