Gentlemen – Arcola Theatre, Dalston 

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

Writer: Matt Parvin 

Director: Richard Speir 

“Tense Toxicity “

4 / 5

~This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub ~

When Greg, a working-class boy on a scholarship to an unnamed Oxbridge style university, is accused of plagiarism he has his defence ready. Able to talk his way out of any situation, he quickly wriggles out of the discussions and continues with his laddish lifestyle of binge-drinking, pulling and playing footie. But the allegations become more serious – shining a light on his character and putting the University in a position that surely means he should be kicked out?

Matt Parvin’s script perfectly encompasses moral grey areas and two-toned characters. The three leads are all contrastingly different, Greg is loud and loutish, Kaspar clever and pensive, Timby desperate to please without rocking the boat. There isn’t really a good or bad side – everyone is just as awful and as sympathy inducing as eachother in their own ways. Greg (Charlie Beck) is cocky and uncompromising, his acerbic wit quick to extinguish the plagiarism accusation with welfare officer Timby (Edward Judge) and therefore avoids the need to get the dean involved on a more formal basis. Kaspar (Issam Al Ghussain) remains completely silent throughout the discussion, furious that his essay has been copied and frustrated that nothing is seemingly being done about it.

When Kaspar makes a second accusation, this time of homophobic language towards him from Greg – the three meet again to discuss the issue at hand, with similar results. Kaspar’s patience has clearly worn thin by the third complaint, this time physical, and he finally finds his voice – unexpectedly sharp and manipulative, he’s clever enough to weave his way around Greg once Timby has left the room – he’s not the quiet, compromised student the audience assume from the initial introductions. He launches into an engaging speech about bi-erasure, toxic masculinity, the perils of lad culture and the issues that stem from it, determined to take a stand to make an example of Greg and boys like him, and will do everything and anything he can to get justice.

By making all three characters flawed, it creates a moral grey area that sparks discussion and debate about the level of action that should be taken on Greg. While in the first half, Greg is relentlessly unyielding, excellently portrayed by Beck, in the second, he appears more vulnerable, eliciting an unexpected sympathy from the audience and muddying the decision further. Kaspar is similar, initially you want nothing but justice for him, but his manipulative nature and snobbish attitude strips away his sensitivity – making him as a person unlikeable, although his arguments stand firm. Edward Judge is magnificent as Timby, brilliantly likeable with perfect comedic timing. His flaw is only his desperation to please everyone, which ultimately makes him more endearing, the obvious struggle to do the right thing apparent throughout the show. Judge is very natural on stage, and his unexpected switch to a character within Kasper’s nightmare in the second half further shows his talent and flexibility.

This show is almost thriller-esque in its execution. There are a few gasp-inducing twists that keep the audience on edge, but the witty, well-flowing dialogue between each of the three multi-layered characters are what truly stand out in this tensely toxic three-hander.

Runs Until 28 October 2023