Review: The Student Union

The Student Union is set in the leading University of Wessex, which most definitely bears absolutely no resemblance whatsoever to any other leading universities we might have heard of.  After the mysterious resignation of the President of the Student Union, the remaining sabbatical officers are left to fight over his position.  As the play progresses, more scandals and secrets emerge, not only about the candidates, but even the University itself.

Each candidate embodies a flaw of modern student politics.  One is completely ignorant of his own privilege, one cares as much about her own image as the projects she works on, and one doesn’t seem to have any policies or aims beyond attention-grabbing rent reductions.

Maia von Malaisé as Charlotte, Sam Bedford as Felix, Haran Logonathan as Ben, Anna Freeman as Alicia, and Molly Elliott as the Vice-Chancellor (Image Credits: Jasper Cresdee-Hyde)

However, what is perhaps the most remarkable thing about this play is the level of audience participation. Members of the cast sit amongst the audience before the play even begins, and chat with them in character. The audience gets to question the candidates at their hustings, and vote for the president.  There are even four separate ending scenes, depending on which candidate wins.

Another innovative aspect of this play is not in any scene, but in the transitions between them.  As the cast scurry around in the dark rearranging furniture, entertaining yet insightful recordings play of people reading out posts from the university’s Facebook confessions page.  The original, Sherlock-esque music composed by Thomas Field also perfectly fits the atmosphere of the play.

The Student Union is brimming with parody and humour.  A particular highlight, which I found extremely funny for completely objective and unbiased reasons, was Iona Rogan as the editor-in-chief of the student publication the Crack.  Dripping with jewellery and over-the-top eyeliner, she rages over deadlines and grows misty-eyed at the thought of how many articles she could squeeze out of a student election.

Iona Rogan as Kate (Image Credits: Jasper Cresdee-Hyde)

This play does also tackle many serious topics, such as mental health and domestic abuse.  The ending in particular is very shocking, as it seems to be in opposition to many of the criticisms of the political system from earlier in the play.  It definitely leaves the audience with a very pessimistic view of student life.

4/5 Stars.

Overall, this is a thrilling play that is well-worth seeing.  The final performance is tonight at 7:00 at the Cripps Auditorium at Magdalene, and tickets are available here.

Feature image credits: Jasper Cresdee-Hyde