The lights come up on an unimpressive domestic interior: a sofa, table, fridge and signs saying ‘Welcome Everyone’ and ‘Good Vibes Only’ – clearly a portent of doom. This is the living room of a five-student house share at the beginning of term.
They are diligent Christian student Charlotte, drugged-up Henry, sex siren Bex, over-enthusiastic Luke and withdrawn Kane. Everything seems so right, so much fun…but there’s the door at the back of the stage which is kept locked as it is said to conceal black mould.
Everyone has a past, and leaving home does not expunge it, but the past of some people is more pervasive than that of others.
The real joy of this piece is in the characters. People like Henry are basically useless, only good for getting other people into trouble, and there is always that suggestion about Henry. In this case, the performance of Brodie Husband, who is one of the writers, makes the character endearing and even loveable. ‘You can tell what drugs people do from the vibes they give off’ he says, a philosophy of life so narrow and shallow as almost not to exist, but funny.
Emily Dilworth takes control of the stage as Bex who has a past of bad lovers and thinks if she parties hard enough, it will all be alright. ‘I shagged you once, you are not my boyfriend’ as she tells one man.
Church girl Charlotte played by Katie Emanuel, is the tidy, patient one. ‘I care about hockey, I care about grades, I care about people she says,’ until she too joins the world of heavy drinking, ketty, blow and weed.
The first term shakes all of them out similarly with the breakdowns, exam fears and sexual longing. As the plot relies on past misdemeanours, it is a bit ‘tell not show’ but it is appropriate to the setting – students do reveal themselves to each other until, in this case, it is one reveal too many.
The audience screamed with pleasure and recognition at some of the scenes. Whether this play is a good advertisement for student life at a difficult time for the university sector is hard to determine, but it is certainly a fun night out.
Playwright: George Ryder and Brodie Husband
Cast: Katie Emanuel, Bridie Husband, Emily Dilworth, George Ryder, Ollie J. Edwards
Duration: 90 minutes no interval
Until Saturday 7 March 2026