Sweet Staccato Rising is both brutal and funny. The third in the Year of Descent Series, the play takes us deep down into a realm of impotent fury, frustration and boredom.

Gunner (Hamish Michael) and Slit-Fish (Lauren Urquhart) have grown up in a world that doesn’t care, offers them no job or education opportunities and is full of dead ends.  Gunner is abused by his family, has a step father of roughly the same age and has no options.  Slit-Fish must contend with the constant meaningless of her existence, whether here or abroad and her memories of sexual exploitation.  The only outlet for their rage is to “f..k sh.t up”.

Gunner and Slit-Fish are part of generation Y; a generation that has grown up during a period of rampant capitalism, Americanism and war.  Playwright Robert Reid asks us the questions: What happens to a generation of people who have grown up without a moral compass?  Who have grown up in a cold and consumerist world?  However, he asks these questions with some subtlety, never laying it on thick.

A mostly bare stage and very few props lay the spotlight primarily on the two actors.  Both give tight and intense performances.  It was evident that they have both thrown themselves fully into their roles.  They were not afraid to use their bodies and voices or make full use of the stage.  Urquhart, jittering with frustration and extreme pill abuse, produced much laughter from the audience and Michael, fully immersed in his character, gave an extremely concentrated performance.

The audience were very receptive to this play; there was a lot of loud laughing and enthusiastic applause.  From the beginning to its climactic finish, the play fizzes with a barely contained energy and dark bitter humour.  Overall it is an excellent and well executed piece of theatre.

Sweet Staccato Rising plays at The Store Room until August 22, 2004.