Written by Sam Edmunds

Directed by Sam Edmunds & Vikesh Godhwani

Review by Dominic Corr

Summerhall – Demonstration Room: Tickets

Thumping house music, an off-brand bottle of gin (never Gordons), and a thirst for life that only youth can hold, Sam Edmunds’s The Chaos That Has Been and Will No Doubt Return is an evocative coming-of-age piece from Chalk Line Theatre, which speaks to friendships, growing-up, violence, and the dreams which soon unravel into beautiful, perpetual chaos. But it is such a beautifully carried and subtle piece that amidst the loudness, shouting, and party culture, there is a beautifully nourished heart that speaks with articulation and clarity that silences all else.

What initially seems like a mundane, run-of-the-mill early evening for two best pals navigating the ins and outs of growing up quickly spirals into a high-octane, brilliantly illustrative, and articulate voice from Olatunji Ayofe’s leading performance. It’s 2008, and the economy is in the toilet. The ramifications of the financial crash have started, but their impact on the lowest-income areas is only just beginning.

Edmunds and Vikesh Godhwani’s co-direction infuse storytelling into the heart of the theatricality of the show – primarily narrated and carried through three-handers gorgeously as they slip into differing roles, each distinct and given weight. From strained relationships with parents and potential lovers to the head-done and ‘reputation’ young men so often crave and have no idea what to do with. It’s a simple set design from Rob Miles, a few boxes that shift from the night-club environment to street corners and make effective and clever transformations without distracting or overly distracting. Edmund’s lighting is extraordinary in moments – turning facial expressions into nightmarish demonstrations of aggression or highlighting genuine anguish.

A new venue is required, though – the echo of the Demonstration Hall does the sounding no favours, both in the extremes of the volume and the ‘rounding’ out of dialect, which should (and does) punctuate. But these are all things to consider for the show’s future, one it will have, deservedly so. As a piece of comedy, it works. As an experience of romance and coming-of-age, it shines. It excels as a (very) timely drama on the growing divide of communities and slap-dash stereotypes. The Chaos That Has Been and Will No Doubt Return works on so many different levels that the fear is that it would fall apart. Far from it.

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