BU21
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BU21 literally starts with a bang. It's the not-too-distant future, and a plane crashes over West London due to a terrorist attack; the aftermath is obviously chaos.
Stuart Slade's play follows six characters whose lives are irrevocably altered by this one moment. Parallel narratives from six survivors of the attack propel the narrative forwards, as we hear their updates at intervals after the event. Some do better than others.
Director Karen Holley initially has the characters address the audience in an interview style. These vignettes then morph into a support group circle, then break up again. She balances the stories well, and none appears as the lead through her direction.
Syama Rayner as Izzy starts the performance with horrific gusto and emotion. The audience is plunged straight into the action, and Rayner sets a high bar for the ensemble, but luckily her castmates keep up. Izzy's life becomes entangled with Alex (Jack Hinckley) as they start a relationship when they meet at a support group for survivors of the attacks.
Hinckley plays an insufferable finance bro with all the smarm and charm this character requires. Slade has written this character as a confidant to the audience, and Alex often outlines the plot manoeuvrings directly to us, the audience. This doesn't feel too jarring as the characters speak directly to the audience throughout the play, but this device of blatant exposition does feel like it is hiding sloppy writing.
The play looks at the impact of trauma and grief, how some people benefit while others are left in a wretched state—none more wretched than Ana (Ema Pasic), who is left paralysed and in chronic pain. Pasic plays a vulnerable character with a lot of heart and the persistence to survive, with a gentle, tender tone.
Darren (Adam Paul Brown) is one of the characters who seems to have done rather well out of the horror. He has become a profiteering celebrity from grief, able to exploit the decimation of life for his political and personal agenda.
The final two characters follow Floss (Grace Borer) and Clive (Hasan Shah), who develop an extremely unlikely connection that I think the plot could do without. Fractured families are explored through these characters, and I think their friendship is more logical than any romantic relationship that is thrust upon them.
Slade's writing is at its best when he is describing the visceral smells and burning rubble post-crash. This is enhanced by James Denny's lighting and Steven Ramondt's sound.
This is a play more about vulnerability and the human spirit than it is about a specific event. The final thought of the play is more about the many perspectives and interpretations of the purpose of life.
BU21 Venue:
LowMAC
134 Lower Marsh
Waterloo, SE1 7AE
Dates:
from 21st October - 25th October 2026
Running Time:
65 minutes.
