They’re Just Small Town (Northern) Lads is your classic Summerhall sellout. A big theme, and an established performer: this is exactly what this production is about. But thematically, is it too much?
Masculinity (among a host of other concepts) is this play’s chief concern. And this theme is not one which theatre makers and writers have shied away from in recent years. It is now difficult to buck the trend of plays about masculinity. Therefore, it was exciting to see this one buck some of those trends (definitely not all those trends, but at least some). This single hander is a refreshing yet slightly safe portrayal of that masculinity.
Walking into the room, muscular and rippling with a brash energy is a man who condenses an era into a performance little over an hour. It is a tale which explores family tumult and school tension for a teenager becoming a ‘small town lad’ as Jonathan moves to a small town as his family are forced to leave. Written and performed by Nathan Jonathan, this is a journey of missed opportunities, and growing understanding. Jonathan holds a great energy, which alongside music backing works perfectly. It ebbs and flows, as we have moments of real pacy playfulness and then some more clichéd, typical moments of unnecessary fury. This fury seems sometimes a little mishappen, although what the actor does best is find moments of humour well. These come as Jonathan gains a silliness to his performance.
For me this is where the production breaks trends of masculinity-centred productions. Masculinity no longer becomes something of toxicity but reveals a playful, cheeky and vulnerable side to Jonathan’s character. And it is not a gay awakening at the heart of this story, just a steady, brief acknowledgement of queerness and its contribution to masculinity. Nathan Jonathan understands this well.
Amanda Huxtable’s direction does a great job at optimising a difficult venue to work in. Huxtable ensures that Jonathan utilises the raked seating to assist with humorous notes and to add personality to the piece. Music choice, elevates the piece as it progresses and adds a timely backing for this Y2K rooted piece.
Thematically, masculinity unfortunately feels a tad too prominent. Lines such as ‘What makes a man?’ chime out a little too loudly, and every line sounds out a little too hard to this same tune. We have chords, and not quite harmonies. Nathan does well to more subtly intertwine themes of racial inequality, although some moments were awkward due to the clichés in the writing. Even moments which stepped outside of the world of the play to address the script itself felt similarly tacked on. It is a real shame to see, as this story clearly holds potential to carry a more complex web of stories.
Nonetheless, with humour, relish and reminiscence, Jonathan produces an insightful evening at Summerhall.
They’re Just Small Town (Northern) Lads is running until 16 August at Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Summerhall. You can buy tickets here
Image provided by Nathan Jonathan.
