Presented by Production Lines

Review by Laurie Kimmett

Olive Studio at Greenside @ George Street

There’s a lot to enjoy about Shinjuku, the latest work from Claire Wood. It explores a multitude of themes: motherhood, education, parenting, lost love, and most obviously: the impact of the manosphere on young boys. 

We follow Abby (Claudette Baker-Park), a single mother of her twelve year old son, Baxter, as she is called into his school to discuss an issue he’s having. Or, more accurately, an issue the school is having with him. As Baxter’s young but steady teacher, Toni (Noa Gelb), explains, Baxter appears to have been indoctrinated by the rising problem threatening all young men – the manosphere. Abby is upset, confused, and in strong denial. Headteacher Sam (James Matheson) appears to attempt to soothe her, instead making the whole situation worse.

As mentioned, there is a lot to enjoy about Shinjuku. The script is snappy, if a little stilted and unnatural, and pace is well kept by the performers. Noa Gelb is the standout, working the script to her best ability and providing the strongest performance with the most layers. Her combat and escalating tension with Abby is fleshed out and understandable from both sides. There is an interesting opportunity to explore the internal sexism and ageism that is shown in flashes from ultra-feminist Abby towards Toni, but these are never fully explored and pass by. Similarly, the tension between the two women is palpable in its peaks and troughs, but could also be pushed more to really include the audience in the atmosphere. 

Too much/too little is the theme of this show. There are so many themes and messages crammed in that it gets too confusing. Matheson overhams the repulsive Sam to the extent that even when you are meant to sympathise with him, you can’t. At the other end of the spectrum, sometimes Baker-Park’s agony at losing the son she thought she knew reads less like losing a son and more like losing a pen. 

The shows greatest strength is its timeliness. These themes are boyhood and manosphere as incredibly pertinent to our times, and it’s scarily realistic to see a mother being told her son has been radicalised. But halfway through, this important theme is shunted aside a little in favour of exploring a relationship drama between two characters. These are really interesting ideas in a good script, and with a little development, could be a stellar show.

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