Review: CHATROOM, Upstairs At The Gatehouse

Enda Walsh's Chatroom debuted as part of the 2005 National Theatre Connections, receiving its first staging the following year starring Matt Smith and Andrew Garfield among the cast. UpStaged Theatre Company revives the chilling tale of cyberbullying and manipulation as part of this year's Camden Fringe. The young company is directed by Nick Hooton, who delivers the text with distinct sensitivity.

A group of teenagers spend their days chatting about conspiracy theories, children's literature, Kylie Minogue, and the suicidal tendencies of the depressed youth. When William joins the conversation, some members take notice of the bigger potential of his destructive behaviours and initiate a cruel game.

The material hasn't aged too well, as it's often the case with this type of subjects. From mid-2000s pop culture references to the use of chatrooms itself, the play looks slightly off to a digitally literate audience in 2019. Teenage anguish hasn't, however, changed that much even though Gen Zs and onwards don't need a "cause" like William to make noise.

The projection issues and nerves are to be taken in consideration but are definitely justified by the performers' young age, who are, in any case, able to land the show. They demonstrate exceedingly well how little it takes for hate to spread on the internet and how viciously callous attacks can escalate out of control.

Hooton sets the scene in a conceptual open laptop. Neon lights and sounds accompany the performance, displacing the action into the cyberuniverse. What might have turned into a static production actually becomes simmering stillness. The actors sit, lie, or stand with phones in their end, fuelling the dangerous discussion on a dimly lit stage.

All in all, although Chatroom would benefit from a technological update, as presented by Hooton it remains poignant in the paramount debate over online abuse and bullying.

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