Ned Blackburn writes and leads An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo, capturing a snapshot of the queer experience within the confines of a rigid, anachronistic boarding school. Taking residence in the Underbelly Bristo Square this Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Blackburn’s piece is sharply funny, impeccably soundtracked, and leaves plenty of food for thought.
Eighteen-year-old Johnny is in his final year at boarding school, struggling to fit in with the old-fashioned approaches and his straight schoolmates. The only thing helping Johnny through the experience is his secret relationship with rugby-playing, closeted Harry. And listening to Britney Spears a lot.
An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo nails its tone from its earliest moments, even as we enter the Friesian venue to a soundtrack of Britney Spears’ Blackout album. It effortlessly blends a story that taps into the isolation of boarding school life, sexual identity, and masculinity, with perfectly executed humour drawn from the gay experience.
Ned is witty and sharply astute, with dry observations about the mundane environment of an English boarding school, yet a spark is awakened in his steamy relationship with Harry. The piece captures this stifling world where rumours fly and students like Harry feel the need to repress their identity, whether they know it or not. Blackburn’s impressive scripting allows the humour to remain present even when the pair’s relationship hits challenging bumps in the road. The play is unafraid to veer into darker territory, including a sobering revenge porn subplot and questions regarding the dynamic between Harry and Ned.
There is a sparky chemistry between Blackburn and co-star Harvey Weed, the pair electric in their interactions and truly able to spar back and forth with the narrative’s comic charm. They are impressive in their delivery of the physically comic moments, such as an amusingly compelling love scene set to a Britney banger, while also able to delve into the more serious themes of An Adequate Abridgement, including repression, identity, and deceit. Weed showcases an impressive versatility, springing into a number of characters with gusto and vigour, from the school’s stern former military man turned morally driven headmaster to masked Grindr dominators.
Directors Meg Bowron and Josh Stainer stage the piece effectively, capturing the stuffy and oppressive world of a British boarding school while allowing an optimism to shine through in Johnny and Harry’s relationship. The Underbelly stage is adorned with a large cabinet that doubles as the rugby changing room lockers, Harry’s bedroom, and a wardrobe that becomes Ned’s hiding place when events take darker turns.
An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo mixes sharp wit and a simmering chemistry between Blackburn and Weed, as it captures both the repression and exhilaration of queer adolescence. Comic, candid, and truly memorable, this production is a must see.
An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo runs until August 25 at the Underbelly Bristo Square. Tickets are available here.
