League of St George[author-post-rating] (3/5)

There is no shortage of ‘nation’ plays at this year’s Fringe. Most that I’m aware of, however, discuss the notion of an independent Scotland and its identity, sidestepping the fact that England’s identity must also be considered if the union breaks down next year. By representing an England of 1976 inhabited by the skinheads of The League of St George, Georgia Bliss’s play attempts to ask questions of identity, both sexual and national. It’s a fascinating play presented in a loud, exciting production, but I wonder how deep its interrogation goes.

The setup is a simple but effective one; Adam, a racist member of the League of St George, falls in love with a young man whose family own the local Indian restaurant. This dichotomy leads to an inevitable tension, with Adam having to rethink his views and make compromises, ending in a highly charged climax. Meanwhile, the job shortage continues and the relationship betweens his parents adds additional strain.

This is a smart play with moments of high drama, and deals with the issues sensitively and intelligently. Partly due to time constraints, however, this world isn’t quite fully formed, and the show fails to really consider how things got like this in the first place. The argument that “We have to defend ourselves against these international corporations” comes slightly too late in the piece to have an impact, and the discussions about the economic climate don’t quite go deep enough. I also wonder if there’s something strangely reductive about placing homosexuality in opposition to racism and, beyond demonstrating that our identities are made up of a number of facets of of our personality, the play doesn’t reveal much more about ourselves.

Nonetheless, this production (devised collaboratively by Bricks and Mortar Theatre) is a full-on assault on the senses and is acted with panache. Performers double as band members, with Holly Mallett in particular switching between violent drummer and old woman with ease. Dominic Garfield portrays Adam’s lover with a quiet dignity, and comes across as the most human character in the piece. But it is Oliver Tunstall in the leading role who stands out, representing a young man in the turmoil of transition, living a dual life but unable to tell anyone. He flits from aggressively violent to introspectively calm without fuss, and provides a solid emotional grounding throughout.

Punk songs like Cock Sparrer’s ‘England belongs to me!’ add to the angry atmosphere and make scene changes genuinely interesting (though the inclusion of a few lefty anthems by Billy Bragg is a little bewildering). League of St George is not without its problems, but it is a riot of a show which tackles some fundamental ideas about who we are and does so with a vibrancy not often seen. With any luck, this won’t be the only play considering English national identity in the context of a potential break-up of the union, but it kicks things off with a bang.

League of St George is at C Nova until 26 August. For more information and tickets visit the Edinburgh Fringe website.