Knife on the Table
Cockpit Theatre, London

THIS new play by Jonathan Brown looks at the thorny issue of knife crime through the lens of a group of young south Londoners caught up in a frightening cycle of drug and gang-related violence.

With nothing more than a bare stage and the menacing accompaniment of percussionist Fred Hills on drums, the Something Underground company successfully conjures up an atmosphere of fear and helplessness as the action leads depressingly towards a violent conclusion.

The cast is led by Brown himself as Angel, a sinister gang leader from whose malign intentions all chaos ensues, while the main centre of attention is the relationship between two teenagers, Flint (Jez Davess-Humphrey), a good boy turned bad, and his one-time girlfriend, the ambitious Book (Moyosola Olashore), who’s desperately trying to escape from the maelstrom around her.