BWW Reviews: NOTHING IS THE END OF THE WORLD (EXCEPT THE END OF THE WORLD), The Finborough Theatre, April 25 2013

Despite a clunky start from cast and script alike, with teenage characters being portrayed very stereotypically, Bekah Brunsetter's Nothing is the End of the World (Except the End of the World) ultimately proved to be an interestingly acted, thought-provoking piece of theatre.

The Finborough's tiny space was used to great effect, with Susannah Henry's simple but effective school-cum-gymnasium set giving a realistically plastic-y feel to our surroundings. It all felt very much like school, until Dan Crow and Lisa Caruccio Came's spooky, artificially intelligent characters joined the mêlée of usual academic and social worries. A particularly pressurised school has been chosen to host some of the first not quite human students, and proceedings are being filmed by an unseen camera crew, who are creating a reality TV show about the experiment's success - or failure. The ups and downs of the relationships that follow are thought-provoking and sometimes moving, sometimes hilarious. At the very least, this is an interesting play.

Director Max Pappenheim utilises movement interestingly throughout and finds a subtle dramatic arc. The cast as an ensemble are excellent, with everyone having at least one moment that would grasp even the most cynical audience member's attention. In the final scene, when the cast watches the documentary that has been made, their invisible TV screen acting was so convincing that people kept looking to see what the actors were seeing - these are very vivid performances.

Perhaps the concepts used within the piece are less intriguing and original if you regularly watch sci-fi. However, to your average theatre-goer, this is a quietly stimulating piece. If the impressive lighting and special effects and the exaggerated hand gestures of many West End productions are not for you, then perhaps the Finborough's current production is.

Nothing is the End of the World (Except the End of the World) runs at the Finborough Theatre until 8th June.

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