Jonathan Houlston's strikingly astute and utterly gripping debut play, Physical Education, transforms a school locker room into a retreat where hypermasculinity is performed en masse, first dates are held in secret, and reputation-threatening confessions are whispered cautiously. The production, directed by Richard Mylan for Grand Ambition, runs at Swansea Grand theatre until 11 July.
Boys as a pack: banter with a sinister edge
The play opens with the boys as a collective, playing up to tropes familiar from the TV drama Adolescence. Banter sprinkled with "your mum" jokes flows, chat about sex reduces female classmates to goals, and nude pictures are shared like trophies. But Houlston presents this montage only as a starting point, before unstitching the group and tackling the cliches.
Individual stories emerge
By the end, each boy has earned our sympathy. Ringleader Jason (Harry Lynn) might be a brute to the others, but he's fending off much worse at home. Joe (Houlston) proves himself sweetly inexperienced on his first date with Holly (Anna-Sophia Tutton). Two of the boys are in a hushed-up relationship with each other, terrified of being found out.
Timing and tension
Timing is pivotal: it's the last year of school, and those who leave Swansea for university might not look back, splintering the set for good. Joe questions his friendship with Jason, who regularly spikes his drinks and teases him about his weight. Is it banter, or something more sinister? Things come to a head at a drunken party, echoing Laura Wade's Posh in how hierarchies are challenged, loyalties dissolve, and a plan to cover their backs is hurriedly thrown together.
Production and performances
Director Richard Mylan's production has the dexterity of a show that's been running for years, not days. All seven performers, including Michelle McTernan as teacher Miss Rider, inhabit their characters with well-worn familiarity. The boys bounce around Delyth Evans' locker-room set with the agility of dancers, landing punches and pulling off impressive vomiting stunts.
Conclusion
A cliffhanger ending leaves the door open for a second instalment, but this story of teen masculinity in its entirety—loud but uncertain, fragile yet primed to fight—doesn't really need one.
