Teenager of the Year/Mythomania -A double bill of plays by Jamie Huxley.

Burton Taylor Theatre 05/02/02

Teenager of the Year satirizes the adult view of teenagers through a farcical ceremony, in honour of the teenager of the year, presented by an over the top gameshow type host (Oliver Wise) and his super smiling assistant (Amber Shirley). The suitably uninterested teenager (Tim Hancock) epitimises all that is (supposedly) teenage style to the adult world; getting drunk, rebelling, getting stoned, falling in love…
Through a series of game show like scenarios the teenager is idealised and celebrated in heroic terms for his rebelliousness, spontaneity and freedom. The performance is interjected with film footage of the generation war between adult and teenager expressed through WW2 style reporting.
Oliver Wise relished in his demanding role of inquisitor and delivered a constant stream of hilarious one liners to his less than enthused subject well played by Tim Hancock.

Mythomania, by contrast, explores the twisted myths and endless lies that infiltrate
society. The intimate setting of the Burton Taylor Theatre is the ideal venue for the intertwining monologues of the Dreamer (Kimon Daltas) and the Mythmaker (Jos Lavery). As the characters reach the climax of their monologues, the contrast between the two performances is at its most dynamic. The Dreamer becomes increasingly guilt ridden, introverted and nervous, while the mythmaker, desperately trying to convince the audience of the validity of his argument, grows harsh and relentless.
The Dreamer and the Mythmaker balance each other well and effortlessly cope with the rapid change of pace of this intense script.

Teenager of the Year and Mythomania, while very different in terms of subject matter, themes and delivery, are entertaining and stimulating performances. The rich and inspired scripts are captivating and hilarious in places. At the end of the performances I was left with a strong desire to get my hands on the scripts to read and re-read.

Directed by Toria Banks and produced by Rachele de Felice.

Sheelagh Doyle 5/02/02