The Homefront continues at the Union Theatre, London until 9 August.
Quite whether another production is required to remind society of the appalling personal damage that homelessness reeks is a moot point, the issue having been covered from just about every possible angle to date. But the trump card with this musical production – presented by Fairground Theatre Company in association with the Union Theatre – is that author John Kristian was himself homeless for a short period in 2013, clearly being wise enough to write about his grim experiences while still fresh in the mind.
There’s no lavish set here, of course, just a large wheelie bin and three tragic figures curled up inside filthy sleeping bags. Thankfully, there’s not the faintest romanticism about being on the streets, just desperation, anger and certainly a sense of complete bewilderment from the youngest character and relatively new street person, played expertly by Josh Maddison.
Most tragic is Robert, in his late 50s, ex-Army, on the edge of total madness and spitting vitriol at all and sundry with just a bottle of booze for solace. Bruno Loxton’s is an unsettling, frightening and desperately sad portrayal of what can happen when a man’s family life breaks down and his mental state collapses. There’s only one rule on the street, he says, and that’s to survive – but from the minute we first see him he looks like a victim, and it’s no surprise that he becomes one in tragic circumstances.
In contrast, the third street dweller (Alasdair James McLaughlin) has got everything it takes to survive, that is with the aid of substances, a very cruel streak and total lack of remorse for any of his actions. McLaughlin superbly creates a truly fearsome, anarchic, surreal, yet credible character.
Such is the intensity of the drama, the musical numbers even seem a little superfluous at times, but still add a different, interest-holding dimension. Being an opera seasoned professional, Loxton’s voice easily stands out, while the vocal passion of Maddison and McLaughlin can only be admired.
It’s the cruel ‘hierarchy of the street’ that it is played out amid degradation at the hands of the police and even by intrusive, patronising TV reporters trying to get the feel of what it is like to live on the streets.
What is conveyed with brutal clarity in The Homefront is the vulnerability of those living on the streets. Any camaraderie between the homeless comes at a high price, they have to look after number one and no one else.
Adding a female into this volatile mix would have maybe allowed for even more issues to be tackled, but as it stands this is a brave production about the homeless which really does think outside the cardboard box. If it’s a choice between watching this or some C-list celebrity spending about eight minutes in a sleeping bag outside a Costa Coffee to ‘experience’ homelessness, Kristian’s work gets my vote, no contest.
Derek Smith
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