If I had to describe Son of Man in one word, it would be shouting. An unbelievable amount of shouting. Considering the space we were in (a small room above a pub in the middle of Stockwell) there really isn’t any need for all that shouting.

It had so much promise on the leaflet. I was expecting big things from this show: a lengthy, in-depth discussion about the problems that Christianity and atheism face. Instead I got two and a half hours of poor players strutting and fretting across the stage. This is my first point of contention: they are too self-indulgent with the material, where the potential to make something great is definitely there. There is a lot of material that could have been cut because they repeat a lot of dialogue, and so performance time could be trimmed down significantly, making for a shorter, more effective show.

However, as it is a re-imagined version of the story of young Jesus, it is interesting to see their take on the story of the alleged son of God. I get what they are trying to achieve with the minimalist set, and the blocks are covered with pages of the Bible, which visually is very interesting. There are ‘set changes’ but none of them really need to happen; at best, a few blocks are moved. We understand the setting changes with the change of characters. The lighting makes me feel like I am at some sort of underground Shoreditch house night. The changes are too frequent, and at points it genuinely looks like the technician doesn’t know what he was doing. The actors would be performing and lights would change suddenly, for no reason, halfway through a scene – very confusing.

Calvin Crawley as Yeshua (Jesus) just isn’t strong enough for the part. Zack Polanski as Lysander is too colloquial in a show that demands a formal discourse. Not all is lost though, as Lucas Augustine plays a strong Hebrew judge who commands the stage. However, I’m not completely sure of the historical context, but I’m pretty certain the son of the monotheistic God didn’t condemn a man for being homosexual. It reeks of artistic licence being taken too far.

Their depiction of homosexuality generally is in poor taste. Whilst I understand they are trying to show the horrendous treatment that homosexuals were put through, they end up just making it look like they hate gay people. My boyfriend actually looked disgusted by the whole thing.

Son of Man is just a bunch of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Son of Man is playing at the Bread and Roses Theatre until 13 June. For more information and tickets, see the Bread and Roses Theatre website.