Terriers (Tour – Liverpool)

The Royal Court Theatre has brought gun crime play, Terriers to Liverpool. The hard hitting play reveals not only the realities of becoming involved in gangs and gun crime, but the consequences of these decisions. Since 2008 Merseyside Police have commissioned the play along with funding from the Home Office and has become part of the national curriculum, being shown to over 40,000 school children in Merseyside.

The play written by local playwright Maurice Bessman is based on two characters, which are able to oversee the actions of their own gangs as they witness a few truths about their friends. Terriers reveals the drastic impact our bad decisions can have, not only on the individual but their friends and families, highlighting the peer pressure young people face on a daily basis.

The show is introduced by Police Commissioner, Jane Kennedy who explains how the play aims to help the young people of Merseyside and impact positively on their lives. The actors are very young and for the majority, it was their first ever show, which is impressive as the performances are strong. The audience on the night I attended were reasonably quiet. There are a few scenes which include loud drum and bass music as the actors dance routines to aid the story, which becomes a little confusing.

Although the play has been created for a great cause and school children may enjoy it when it tours schools, it is a tad worthy and Terriers is not very entertaining and it’s also quite slow moving. Good performances and a message which needs delivering, but not quite like this. Ultimately, Terriers is disappointing as everything doesn’t quite gel as it should.

– Emma Rhodes