Tower (of London), Prime Presents Review

Written by Eleanor for Theatre and Tonic.

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review. All opinions are our own.

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Tower (of London) gives insight into the lives of four London youth workers as they try to navigate group activities, council reviews and financial concerns. Although they are struggling to pay the bills, Darryl, Aliya and Cieran are doing everything they can to provide a safe space for the youth within their community. And with the introduction of an outsider, in the form of a new team member Lucy, this brings change and threatens the status quo. Although their luck begins to change, fears surrounding an impending review continue to mount and peak when an incident occurs involving one of their group members. 

Although it took me a little while to determine the setting and who the characters were, this play’s script is down to earth and believable. There are a lot of scenes within this one-act show which I really enjoyed and the concept holds promise. I thought it was particularly inventive how the changing of the set was done in character. I must admit that I may not necessarily be the intended audience for Tower (of London), as I have never attended a youth club myself, but I do still think that some elements of this production could be strengthened. 

The show starts very abruptly, with a musical introduction ending sooner than I expected and a lot of chatter between the characters. Although it took me a few minutes to work out the setting, the chaos and panic of organising a group outing was well conveyed. I do think it would have worked a bit better, in terms of introducing the location, if Lucy’s character was included a little earlier (this could even be done with an aspect of the set). This would have provided an earlier opportunity to explain the premise. 

The pacing of this story, which covers several different themes across its one-hour run time, was very good. I loved how you find out more about the characters’ motivations, and why they work at the club, as the story unfolds. One of my favourite scenes was when the team sat down to complete a group task, filling out a Q&A worksheet. The dynamics within the group were recognisable and believable and the way it was set felt more relaxed. The whole audience was chuckling due to the humorous lines peppered throughout and delivered brilliantly by Cieran in particular. I also enjoyed how the small amount of audience interaction was utilised to involve us with the piece and give impression of the children at the youth club. But I thought the most effective moment in Tower (of London) involved the use of a flashback. I would have loved to have seen more of these included throughout the show to give us a deeper understanding of the characters. 

Darryl, who leads the Tower youth group, is a well fleshed out character. The monologue he gives about how he met his wife was heartfelt, honest and a lovely scene within the show. He is very good at driving the plot forward and engaging with the other characters. Cieran is the joker of the group and works well to alleviate the tension. During moments when he interacts with the kids directly, and with Max (a new attendee to the youth group) in particular, you can see he is well rounded and really cares for the work he does. I would have loved a similar moment for Aliya; a moment where she is having a one-to-one with a child to show a more compassionate side. But where the dynamics between some characters felt really real, others felt more forced. I struggled to understand the character of Lucy, for example. In some moments she was more mature and an expert in the field, and in others she was more childish and inexperienced. I unfortunately did not connect with her and Aliya’s feud or its resolution. 

By the end of the show, the main narrative feels stretched. It is compelling but needs more elements, such as including more of the youth attendees in the story or us finding out more about how they applied for grants. I care for some of the characters, but not the club itself. the ‘meta’ choice of ending was too much of a tonal shift for me and I wasn’t sure what it was trying to convey.

Tower (of London) provides a glimpse into youth work, through the use of group scenes and some authentic sounding dialogue. While there are some compelling character moments, it could use some refinement overall. But I do think the show holds promise. 

Tower (Of London) is playing at Camden People’s Theatre, as part of the Camden Fridge Festival, from the 14th August – 18th August 2024.  

★ ★