Review: ANTHEM, Bush Theatre

Less an anthem of doomed youth, more of a celebration of it, the Bush Theatre's youth company have devised Anthem as a moment to breathe, look themselves in the mirror, and catch the fiery glares of those staring back at them.

Comprised of compact confessional episodes stringed together loosely, each section is a mediation on the theme of party. But that focus is a splinter in the eye to reveal wider issues plaguing the zeitgeist. Together they paint a rich landscape of diverse emotions. They explore not just the excitement, thrill, and community, but also the lingering melancholy, unfulfilled desire, and rejection that comes part and parcel of being a teenager.

It targets these emotions precisely and without room to spare with glistening poetic language. It comes into its own when it sheds light on the small details, the cultural idiosyncrasies that illuminate each performers' lived experiences. Dedicating a Saturday afternoon to plaiting hair, or bailing on a night out to wake up early to attend church the next day, or reminiscing about the escalating buzz of the Notting Hill Carnival. It adds depth to the world beyond the four walls of the theatre.

Each performer wields the language with blazing confidence. They create a space where they can be themselves unabashedly, where they can give voices to their desires and fears and even express some darker sentiments.

There is a lot of anger lurking in the background. Sometimes it simmers beneath the surface adding heat to discussions about race, the hypocrisy of online activism, and politics. Sometimes it bubbles to the top through powerfully dynamic choreographed dance routines that incorporates violence, release, and the need for catharsis. Jordan Haynes' daydream dance sequence is a partiuclar highlight.

It is different breed of anger. A kind of totalised state of being rather than a precise feeling towards something or someone. After all, this is the generation who were robbed of their carefree school days by Covid lockdowns and are already inheriting not only the financial problems that beset us, but the social, political, and environmental. Sara Dawood's swirling rap expresses this indignation; there are no answers, but there is the resolute determination to find them in the face of adversity.

Some sequences are executed better than others. More confrontational sections come off as gimmicky; asking the audience how long they spend on their phones feels like an obvious manoeuvre to highlight how dependent we are on our phones. But there is enough charm and playfulness thanks to Katie Greenall's bombastic direction to see it through without dragging.

Anthem plays at the Bush Theatre until 27 August

Photo Credit: Helen Murray

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