Constructed cast. Photo by Hannah Kelly

Review: Constructed at Birmingham Rep

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By Dave Massey twitter.com/BrumHour

Review: Constructed at Birmingham Rep

Written and Co-directed by CJ Webley, Movement Director and Co-directed by Mathias André

The cast includes:

  • Ahmed Adam as Wade
  • Mathias André as Steve
  • Janeel Brown as Ethan (Chris)
  • Jerome Chambers as Benson
  • Brandon Hinds as Devon
  • Ibrahim Ibrahim as Cal
  • Orion Martin as Bill
  • Cory McClane as Davies
  • James Nicholson as Marlon
  • Jerome Scott as Rodney

A building site in Birmingham is home for 90 minutes to this ensemble play which explores day to day issues facing the young men working there.

Constructed is comedic and serious, thoughtful and touching as it explores male work relationships and how men interact. There’s a level of changing room behaviour at play here, it reminded me of football plays, war plays and working class drama.

Constructed cast. Photo by Hannah Kelly

Exploring the themes of broad themes health, worries, fears and how one person’s behaviour can impact on a group, this production is mostly of dialogue, there’s some choreographed movement midway, perhaps where an interval might have been and this is used a device to show time passing for the group.

I found the characters warm and fun and there was lots of energy throughout the house from this small yet solid group of actors. Were the characters excited to be working on a building site or were the actors excited to be on stage? The lines felt a little blurry at some moments.

It’s been seven months since I was last in a theatre for a staged production and that theatre was also this main stage at Birmingham Rep, sitting with a facemask on during a production is both alien and familiar to me, from the timed entry to a lack of an interval.

Constructed is finishing its fourth and final performance of its sold out run tonight (29th May) but look out for future theatre from Lightpost Theatre Company. Discover more here: lightpost.co.uk Find out more about Birmingham Rep here: birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on/constructed.html