Theatre review: Going Underground

The London Underground: a network of criss-crossing lives, each in his or her own private world.

Rating: ***

Venue: theSpace @ Surgeons Hall

This isn’t the first time it has been used a basis for a piece of theatre, and it won’t be the last. But Amanda Liddle’s play for bitter/sweet, a group of senior students from Frensham Heights School in Surrey, stands up well, both in the quality of writing and the performances.

The piece concentrates on the underground at night, when it is used by half a million people, and picks out individual stories from the crowd: Anna, on the way home from another unsuccessful date; Charlie, trying to do his homework on the way back from looking after his dementia-suffering grandfather; Adam, who has had a long day wearing a chicken costume in a bid to get his foot on the career ladder.

Cleverly written ensemble sections help to set the tone and context, while sketches show brief moments of connection between individuals. Some of the characters are obvious choices: the runaway, the night-shift worker, the girl who has been dumped by her boyfriend, but they are brought to life with maturity and compassion.

• Until 13 August. Today 2:10pm

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