If you commit a crime and leave your DNA all over the place, they’ll get you. And even if you don’t commit a crime they can get you with your DNA. Hull Truck’s production of Dennis Kelly’s DNA at the Unicorn Theatre takes us through a morbid escalation of events when a group of school kids try to cover up the accidental death of their friend Adam.
Now a staple in the English GCSE syllabus – I can’t decide if this is something to aspire to as a playwright or not – DNA has a lot a young person can relate to and gently nudges the younger viewer or reader (and adults, too) to mull over more philosophical notions like our place in the universe, as a species and as individuals.
Unlike other dramas that make up the Skins generation, it shies away from luring teens in with sex, drugs and Dubstep. The sad story of Crying Brian’s dependence on and destruction by prescription meds and a bit of vodka is as far as the intoxication goes.
The grizzlier scenes are broken up by the more idyllic backdrops of laconic Phil’s (James Alexandrou) and loquacious Leah’s (Leah Brotherhead) picnics together. Alexandrou and Brotherhead create an original and absorbing dynamic between the couple, one that is far from perfect. Particularly amusing is Phil’s meticulous spreading of strawberry jam over a waffle as Leah has come to tell him she’s running away.
Tom Clegg gives a funny performance as geek of the group Danny and then shifts skilfully into Adam – the boy who is meant to be dead – covered in blood and dirt. Daniel Francis-Swaby makes a fantastic and hilarious transition from the meek Brian to the manic Brian after his anti-depressants kick in. Elexi Walker has all the requisite stage presence to capture the boisterous character of Cathy.
The superb cast, which also includes Emily Butterfield, George Brockbanks and Rhys Jennings, is a veritable mix of appearances and accents: the story’s exact locations is irrelevant and so too are the exact ages of the characters.
Kelly gives us a story that is simple and brilliant, eschewing all those lofty and abstract ideas that can be slightly self-indulgent and tedious to watch. Anthony Bank’s production is similarly unpretentious and comes as a breath of fresh air amid a landscape of productions that try and do too much to woo us. DNA may be short in length but it’s one that I’ll remember for a long time.
Runs until 28th April at the Unicorn Theatre.
