CityLife

The Straits @ Contact Theatre

THE award-winning Paines Plough Theatre Company have returned to Contact with an engrossing production of a new work by Gregory Burke, based on his own childhood.

Set in Gibralter in 1982, The Straits follows new arrival, Darren, who is shown the ropes by his new mates Doink and Jock. Testosterone levels are high because these teenagers are the children of British Forces stationed there and their aims are to follow in their fathers' footsteps.

It seems at first an idyllic life - swimming, sunbathing and diving for a lucrative trade in octopus. But the brutal reality of the real world intrudes with bad news from the Falklands War and racial violence on the island.

John Tiffany's imaginative production is set on a crucifix-shaped, tilted stage, which cleverly doubles as the dockside and the sea. The scenes are linked by pounding music and almost balletic choreography and there are terrific performances from the young cast, who provide a wonderful example of ensemble playing.

A word of warning - there is frank language, but this is a powerful evocation of the world seen through the eyes of teenagers in the early eighties. It runs for only an hour and a half, but it's well worth the price of a ticket.

The Straits is at the Contact until May 29. Tickets are priced é5 - é9. Call the Box Office on 0161 274 0600.