September 13, 2009
A big hit at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe festival, Richard Fry's critically acclaimed one-man play finally comes to Oxford. Spoken entirely in verse, Fry tells the tale of a troubled youngster trying to stifle the violent streak inside him. Contributing factors to his inner demons include a violent, alcoholic father, a brutish elder brother, and the death of his mother in a car accident.
Fry's extraordinarily skilful delivery, told at a breakneck, frenetic pace that never lets up throughout the sixty minute duration of the piece, really brings these characters and events to life. Cultural icons as disparate as Steve McQueen and Bucks Fizz are alluded to throughout, set against an eighties backdrop; an era Fry brilliantly recreates without the aid of props or sets. Themes of teenage angst, awkwardness and repressed homosexuality pervade throughout the piece; hilarious in places, devastatingly sad in others.
A complex character study, Bully is shocking, sweet, foul-mouthed, funny and, above all, deeply humane. Powerful stuff, this is a play that needs to be seen by as many people as possible. I cannot recommend this play strongly enough.
Fry's extraordinarily skilful delivery, told at a breakneck, frenetic pace that never lets up throughout the sixty minute duration of the piece, really brings these characters and events to life. Cultural icons as disparate as Steve McQueen and Bucks Fizz are alluded to throughout, set against an eighties backdrop; an era Fry brilliantly recreates without the aid of props or sets. Themes of teenage angst, awkwardness and repressed homosexuality pervade throughout the piece; hilarious in places, devastatingly sad in others.
A complex character study, Bully is shocking, sweet, foul-mouthed, funny and, above all, deeply humane. Powerful stuff, this is a play that needs to be seen by as many people as possible. I cannot recommend this play strongly enough.