Showing Tuesday 14th May – Saturday 18th May at 7:30pm and Wednesday 15th and Saturday 18th May 2pm, DNA at (the very plush) Lakeside Arts is a great break from the world in a reflection of morality in the face of tragedy that started out as just “banter”. Adam is Dead?… Yeah…. Like dead, dead? Yeah. But he was laughing the whole time, when they threw stones at him, when he fell…
Set in the clearing of a wood, ten high-school friends find themselves bound together by secrets, each one carrying the weight of Adam’s death and the paralysing fear of the consequences of their actions. The group battle with their moral compasses and desperately seek support from one another but instead are greeted by chilling silence. Leah, a talkative, passionate individual relentlessly monologues to the unresponsive Phil, as he sits there eating, staring out across the audience.
“the challenges of differing personalities leads to a very different turn of events.”
Yet Phil’s silence births a near psychopathic mindset, as he plots the hiding of Adam’s death in an elaborate scheme. Safety is something never certain, and although the morally ambiguous plan is played out, the challenges of differing personalities leads to a very different turn of events. Afraid they have sent an innocent man to prison, the group are forced to challenge their morals again, panic setting in deeper and deeper until it becomes part of their characters (or not, as is the case with the attention-seeking, increasingly violent Cathy).
The plot continues to throw unexpected twists at the audience, and when a new development occurs, the characters are dragged to their lowest depths and prove that fear can make one do horrendous things. Leaving many questions unanswered, the play is a rollercoaster of emotions, combining dark humour with an analysis of human nature and the human condition, questioning what makes up our DNA.
If you are looking for chills and a moral questioning, head over to Lakeside Arts for 75 minutes of reflection and an uncomfortable sense of enjoyment. Tickets are £15 or £11 with a restricted view.
Phoebe Raine
This show has now passed, to check out Phoebe’s review, click here.
Image courtesy of Nottingham Lakeside Arts via Facebook.
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