Bombs over Byker’s debut at Edinburgh Fringe Festival leaves you thinking about Britain’s ingrained class system, society’s expectations, and our future in a rapidly changing world.
Set on the Byker Estate in Newcastle, the play follows protagonist River, a postgraduate student, as he moves up North, away from his affluent life in the South of England, to live with his Grandma. As a global war looms over the estate, River enlists the help of two Geordie lads, as they build an unexpected friendship.
The exploration of working-class neighbourhood rivalries between Newcastle’s Byker and Walker is compelling; the lack of understanding from the characters themselves as to why they fight between postcodes resonates heavily with my own home town.
For me, the most touching part of Lucas English’s writing was the divide between the working class “disorderly youngsters” and the more affluent protagonist River when considering whether their seemingly mundane lives in Byker were enough for them —as the Newcastle lads recognised that they didn’t need to change themselves to “make a difference,” the class-enabled drift in their new formed friendships stood out. The narrative of being “left behind” is somewhat lost on them, highlighting a contentment that River simply cannot understand.
This disconnection between characters is highlighted fantastically by English’s acting, managing to play more characters than I can count on my fingers seamlessly in a one man show. The narration from protagonist River aids this greatly, and the stand-out comes in a scene where the three friends are sat on the Tyne Bridge, contemplating what the future may hold for each of them.
Whilst distinctions between all characters in the play were clear, some remained somewhat underdeveloped, and the storylines could benefit from more clarification, particularly regarding River’s family, namely his sister, Poppy and his father. The themes of AI data centres, alongside the “looming war” and its possible religious ties were slightly brushed over, and got lost in the fast-paced plot towards the end — pacing and clarity issues that may be ironed out as the show leaves previews.
Despite this, English’s writing is definitely one to look out for!
Bombs Over Byker is running until 29 August at Clover Studio at Riddles Close at Greenside. Buy tickets here.
Image by Lucas English provided to The Student for press use.
