An interesting piece looking at identity and right wing ideals
The world premiere of Harry Mcdonald’s Foam, directed by Mathew Iliffe, showcased at Finborough Theatre, follows the story of Neo-Nazi Nicky in the 70’s and 80’s in London.
Set in an intimate theatre, a base heavy punk song and a somewhat awkward and drawn-out scene introduces us to Nicky as he shaves his head. This simple set is the backdrop for the play, with the use of music as a clever way to take us to different clubs and to introduce different characters that Nicky meets on his nights out. Pink and purple lighting is the overall colour perhaps symbolic, though it didn’t feel like it added anything. It did become intense and somewhat poignant when Nicky finally steps into full Neo-Nazi dress. Despite being set in the 70’s and 80’s, the characters costume felt a little too modern and I would have expected a little more authenticity, but Nicky’s costume really hit the mark on what one would expect a Neo-Nazi to look like.
As we see Nicky interact with different gay characters, it is very clear than some are comfortable with who they are, all the while Nicky is struggling to figure out his identity and what his place is. With that comes some uncomfortable and awkward conversations addressing very real-feeling stances on fascism. The characters seem very relatable, almost familiar, each having a different tolerance to right-wing ideals. There are some very funny and all too real moments in between these very uncomfortable scenes which was a nice break from the uneasiness.
Overall, it was well acted but it felt like it was just not hitting the mark. It could have been because fascism isn’t a typical topic to write about, to my knowledge, and there were many times where it felt very awkward but there were also many times where you could be drawn in to the performances and the characters. It really is quite a thought provoking piece and if you lived through the 70’s and 80’s, it may have been a more relatable piece of work. One of the characters felt a little irrelevant, I would have expected more of his involvement in Nicky’s life. As it is inspired by true events, maybe that is as far as their story goes. It is an interesting piece into something that effects society even to this day, but it felt a little flat in places. The take on identity was well thought out and you could certainly see Nicky conflicted at times, especially when confronted by confident characters. It is certainly a different topic and again not discussed often but it just felt like it was missing something.