Personal politics on the playground and the pitch. The Scaff features four aspiring school footballers, and social misfits, in a story of insults, jealousy, revenge and catharsis. Liam (Benjamin Keachie) has overheard star striker Coco (Craig McLean) calling him a Scaff - the worst possible insult. Egged on by mates Jamie (Bailey Newsome) and Frankie (Stuart Edgar), he targets his tormentor with a brutal tackle, and an injury that will keep Coco on the sidelines for months to come. Inevitably he is ostracised, not only by the whole school, but by his two supposed friends as well. And, being from a poor one-parent family, Liam is easy to put down.
But schoolroom relationships are complex, and malleable, and things don't stay that way for long. Over fifty minutes we learn the real reason for Coco's use of the hated insult, why Frankie and Jamie bend with the wind, and if Liam can rehabilitate himself. And maybe even be the hero of the hour?
While there are elements of social commentary sitting in there, this script is all about the laughs, and the play is extremely funny. The odd moment of pathos, and the feel of a Boy's Own storyline, are thrown in, but what you leave with is a memory of high energy, slick interactions, audience involvement, and some very funny lines. All four performers give a good account of themselves, as much a team on stage as on the ball.
A very enjoyable, if lightweight, end to the PPP season.
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