Theatre

Posh, where the elite meet to eat and, eventually, rule

Aisling Murphy | Thursday 7 June, 2012 11:24

Welcome to The Riot Club, where the young elite assemble with a view to getting absolutely ‘Chateaued’ on fine wine. As bin liners are tied to each seat we prepare for the onslaught; a night of total drunken debauchery, Oxbridge style. Boris and Dave would be right at home amongst the japes and high-jinks of this lot. Nominally, the Riot Club is based on Oxford’s infamous and socially exclusive Bullingdon Club, but this is clearly more than just a Bullingdon satire.

With a change in government since Laura Wade’s Posh had its 2010 run at The Royal Court, the play, now at The Duke of York’s Theatre, reflects the new coalition government and the Greek economic crisis, providing a relevant and sometimes dark exploration of our obsession with class and class-consciousness. Further updates see the ensemble singing choirboy renditions of rnb hits such as Labrinth’s Earthquake, posh boys singing chart music could be considered cheap laughs but nevertheless—it was really funny. And, by the chortling and guffawing from the auditorium, the old boys had a jolly good evening out as well. But it’s the silence between the laughter that makes Wade’s play stand out. As things start to turn sour the boys transform from satirical toffs to antisocial yobs and an unsettled feeling quickly spreads through the auditorium.

With the lives of the privileged becoming increasingly being unveiled to the common folk through television screens and social media sites, Posh captures our Kate-and-Wills-loving-twitter-obsessed society. I was half expecting a new-gen royal or reality television star to trot in from the Kings Road. But jokes and the silly choirboy rapping aside, Posh raises serious social questions that Question Time isn’t answering.

Posh runs at The Duke of York’s Theatre until 4 August.

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