Directed by Iris Supple-Still 

Written by Barney Herrin

Review by Marina Funcasta

Theatre Peckham

Leaving The World Class Wrecking Crew’s final performance last Friday, I was struck by the range of interpretations discussed outside the theatre. Though ostensibly about an absent father trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter, Barney Herrin’s script has a more kaleidoscopic appeal. Conversations about graffiti, art and technology, the gentrification of London and drug addiction converge over one fateful Friday night, rooted in the ordinary setting of a south London council estate – or, more specifically, the graffiti beyond its garden wall.

Graffitti, though not as central as the play’s title would suggest, provides the production with much of its atmosphere. The World Class Wrecking Crew refers to Shade and Norty, our protagonists, who go by the respective tags ‘Dream’ and ‘Code’, during their years as grafitti artist in the 90s. References to this past are peripheral throughout the production, particularly in exchanges between Shade and his friend Jojo – a graffiti artist turned spiritualist played by Sid Edwards, whose warmth and humour provide a welcome counterbalance to Shade, played with infectious restlessness by Oscar Henry. The theme culminates in Shade’s final encounter with his enemy/prospective protégé, Norty, played with ease by Daniel Wain.

The production is visibly haunted by street art thanks to the rear wall deisnged by Ed Carter. This helps illuminate Shade’s inner world, which we learn is plagued by the anxiety of a recently recovered drug addict. For Shade, grafitti is therefore not merely artistic expression, but a means of survival, a stabilishing force following addiction. This becomes particularly clear when Shade leaves a voicemail admitting his failures to Tara’s mother. Henry’s desperation to be a good father, to find a way out, is painful to watch, as we witness a moment of supplication reminiscent of a religious confession. Iris Supple-Still’s direction shines in moments like this, where we are offered flickers of emotional sincerity in archetypal exchange. Supple-Still navigates the shifts between comedy and tragedy with impressive control, creating a balance that feels both earned and cathartic.

Weaving the more sentimental with the political, the deeply tragic with the funny hiccups of daily life, is precisely what makes the play so compelling. Herrin’s script is deeply concerned with transition, caught between a fading past and an uncertain future. Tarsa, Shade’s nokia-owning daughter, is refreshing in her vitality to create her own terms in the ever-evolving world she finds around her. Indeed, employing a fierceness despite her age, Mahailer Palmer stands her ground in a world populated by reckless men.

Though some early scenes would benefit from tighter editing, the script shows considerable promise. At times the production feels very long, and a shorter running time may help sharpen its impact. But even so, as a piece of community theatre, The World Class Wrecking Crew pays tribute to the community it serves – the community on who the survival of the wider Theatre rests its head. But if the standing ovation is anything to go by, that connection still remains very much alive, even if only for now.

---