Map of Stars is a music, dance and drama spectacular. The play is a product of many artistic talents at work in Oxford, and is a testament to these talents. It draws in no less than fifty actors and actresses from the Oxford Youth Theatre, the local band Red 2 and the work of several others in the arts community, notably designers and choreographers who ensure the set, lighting and other multimedia effects are integral to a performance which effortlessly blends the boundaries of different art forms. The company and the band developed the script, the lyrics and the music themselves from a poem by Jenny Lewis in line with the ethos of the piece and its central idea: to inspire youngsters to find freedom and courage to live fulfilling lives by turning to artistic pursuits.

The overall shape of the piece is of a dream sequence. The action moves backwards and forwards in time between the ancient and the contemporary world. Myths from all over the world are juxtaposed with a contemporary naturalistic story of a group of youngsters, on a voyage of self-discovery, who dream of - does it sound familiar - forming a band and fame.
The band is led by two boys Zak and Jake who differ in their approaches to life. Zak feels everything on this earth is down to people and what they create and do and so applies himself. Jake is a sensitive dreamer, a depressive and an idealist. His search for meaning is in imaginary experience and he seeks inspiration for his songs in both early myths and experience outside his world, the stars, and drugs: 'we come but to sleep, to dream, we do not come to live upon the earth' is his, and the rather esoteric refrain of the piece. In the end though, the world of the stars is revealed as a metaphor for the human imagination seeking more creative ways of living, and both boys learn find expression in music and human friendship.

Particularly outstanding are the dialogues developed by the cast, which are so authentic, familiar and so humorously delivered you get the feeling the actors have just walked off the street onto the stage. Yes, they are cool and confident in their nightclubs with mobile phones but also deal admirably with day-to-day issues of parental illness, marital breakdown and show they do have wider political and environmental concerns. Jake, for all his wanderings is exemplary in this - you quite forget he's acting, which makes his wanderings and ideals seem all the more real. The fairly young audience clearly appreciated a play that deals honestly with their experience of growing up and issues relevant to their lives, and that is not in the slightest way patronising. Map of Stars, in the spirit of the Pegasus Theatre, demonstrates yet again that youth theatre is alive and well in Oxford, and as relevant as ever.

Stephanie Kitchen, 20.03.02