Mojo (White Bear Theatre)

To put it quite simply; Mojo is a knockout of a show. At home in the almost disturbingly intimate White Bear Theatre, director Sebastien Blanc‘s interpretation of Jez Butterworth‘s hit show is exactly that – a tremendous hit that will give you an even bigger high. And good luck coming down from this one on the tube home.

We join Potts, Baby, Skinny and Sweets in a throwback to the Rock and Roll 1950s, in a Soho gangland that all four boyish wannabes are eager to join, whilst simultaneously bickering amongst themselves and working at Baby’s father’s bar. An unwelcome discovery in the bins outside brings a darker edge, and all four must suddenly come to terms with their own friendships, rivalries and in the case of Baby, his troubled past.

A refreshing and extremely talented cast, the four leads are an unstoppable force of nature as they tear around the stage – with the artfully decorated set rather falling to pieces amidst their energy, though the effect admittedly adds to the stark boldness of the characters and their story. Luke Trebilcock (Baby) and Max Saunders Singer (Potts/Sid) are particularly stand-out talents, with Trebilcock’s Baby just the right measure of chilling and relatable, and his development throughout the duration of the play and his personal tragedy truly something special. Set apart from the others even from his first scene, Baby’s isolation and eventual indifference serves to contrast beautifully with the sweet naiveté of his friends.

This charming cluelessness of the gang only adds to the darkly comic side of this play,
with Butterworth’s writing purely innovative and a pleasure to see brought to life so successfully by Blanc. Rather than a group of gangster enthusiasts, the boys would seem more at home in a school playground, and it’s this schoolboy charm that really brings home the darker aspects of the play.

A true revelation of a production, Mojo is certainly worth a trip to the White Bear Theatre, with my only criticism that the space seemed barely big enough to contain the talented cast – though, perhaps, that would simply be true of any stage. See it, or regret it.