Before I begin to review The Detention – an original play written and directed by Madi Bouchta – it would be useful to relate my own, personal experience of watching the play on opening night. I had just gotten out of a full day’s worth of seminars, jumping between buildings across the university, never really having a chance to properly switch off. I’m in the first few weeks of my Master’s degree, and it already feels like I’m running on fumes – as I wearily told the college barista, mere minutes before heading down to the Pilch. But, by the time the play was over, I had a big smile on my face, and the profound feeling that I needed this. The Detention was, for me, the ultimate feel-good play.

The Detention follows five students who neatly embody classic high school tropes: class clown Matthew (Rio Moore), popular girl Sasha (Liz Freeman), nerd Eleanora (Sammah Fadalla), jock Thomas (Seth Olner), and goth Amanda (Aimee Dixson). Put into detention by the mysterious new teacher Mr Fairton (Stanley Toyne), the five must put their differences aside and answer one simple question in order to leave: what have they done to end up here?

In answering this question, Bouchta introduces us to an even bigger one: how do we navigate the murky and confusing period of life that is adolescence? The question is sometimes tricky, and always unanswerable – but it is one that the play makes a delight to walk through. The Detention deliberately plays up the tropiness of each of its characters, only to reveal what is perhaps an equally classic message: that underneath all their outward differences, our leading characters are more similar than they might think. And whilst much of the advertising pitches the play as a cross between The Breakfast Club and An Inspector Calls, I would argue that it’s thematically closer to the former rather than the latter, and is all the better for it. Sure, we have the Goole-esque Mr Fairton, whose true identity is never really revealed (is he a ghost? A god?). But that question is not as important as the individual backstories and struggles of our leading characters.

And speaking of the characters, the actors behind our main cast were all very, very strong. Each really played up their respective stereotypes in the first half of the play, much to the audience’s comic delight. It was amusing to see how they interacted with each other onstage. Freeman’s hyper-exaggerated diva performance met its match in Dixson’s biting sarcasm; both, in turn, were counterbalanced by Fadalla’s voice of reason. Moore brought a dynamic energy and playful back-and-forths with every character that were entertaining to watch. But, above all, I personally loved Olner’s performance of Thomas. His take on the typical football jock is complemented by his dry sense of humour; between his one-line interjections, his frequent mispronunciations, and his generally laid-back and irreverent attitude, he never failed to leave the audience chuckling away.

When we got to the second half of the play, and we finally uncovered the reasons as to why each character was really there, there was a slight tendency for the play to feel a bit like a PSA. Without spoiling too much, it felt like each character became a case study: one covers the difficulties of coming out, another the issue of male body image, and so on. I do think if I were to have watched this production when I was younger, say in Year 9 or 10, the messages of the play would have been really compelling. But perhaps one of the main points of The Detention is that we have all been teenagers, struggling with similar issues, at one time or another. And honestly, some of them don’t magically disappear into adulthood… Whilst The Detention might feel like a PSHE class at times, I think it’s these genuinely well-meant lessons that give the play its heart, and it is in their resolution that its “feel-good” energy comes to the surface. And the final dance number, where our leading five characters – now reconciled – finally let loose, was beyond wholesome. 

Ultimately, The Detention is a really easy watch: regularly funny, occasionally serious, and constantly charming. So, if you’re also looking for a break from the hustle and bustle of Oxford life, and simply want to relive what it was like to be a teen again, I would strongly recommend watching Bouchta’s play while it’s still on!

[The Detention, a play by Cross Keys Productions, will be playing at the Michael Pilch Studio Theatre, 29th October – 1st November]