An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo – Riverside Studios

Gay men who managed to survive the UK during the ‘80s and ‘90s would likely remember the 1984 historical drama Another Country. Written by Julian Mitchell, and directed by Marek Kanievska, the film launched Rupert Everett and Colin Firth’s careers. It stormed Cannes, got nominated for a raft of BAFTAs and caused quite a scandal on its release. Beautiful public school boys, a masturbation scandal, floppy hair, same-sex snogs and posh fury at the establishment are just some of the film’s takeaways. In the homophobic mania of the AIDS crisis and a few years before Section 28, Another Country shocked the nation. It’s laughably tame by today’s standards, but people stormed out of cinemas in disgust. Tabloids frothed and dribbled. Almost nobody noticed it was based on the early life of the spy and double agent Guy Burgess.

An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo deserves the same level of attention which greeted Another Country. It might even be better written. It’s definitely racier than the aforementioned film, but this excellent play lands in a deranged attention economy. In 1984, people accidentally saw Another Country at the cinema because there was almost nothing else to do.  People saw movies ‘cause it was a cheap night out and television was terrible and limited.

Ned Blackburn is the author of An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo. He also plays Johnny in this cracking two-hander. Blackburn has an abundance of charm, top comic timing, acting range and a capacity for Britney-style choreo. Those skills are golden, but he’s also a razor-sharp writer, capable of dark nuance and pop culture wit. Harvey Weed plays rugby star Harry, the object of Johnny’s affections. The action takes place in God-bothering archetypal English boarding school.

Weed also plays a dizzying range of characters that include a pompous rector, cringe-inducing teacher, a stooping grandad and a mysterious gay chorister. His ability to imbue each role with a singular clarity was impressive and hugely entertaining. Weed’s skill with a range of characters is undeniable, but Blackburn has generously given him some of the best lines and lot to play with. Victoria Wood had a similar approach to writing comedy.

There are a few familiar tropes. An emotionally unavailable, but sexually compulsive school hunk. The contradictions and hypocrisy of religion. Darwinian boarding school brutality. Gay shame. While Blackburn doesn’t quite satirise these themes, he adds some quirks which elevate the project into a more complex and impressive show than it seems at first glance. The scenes in where an 18-year-old schoolboy falls into the scary world of Grindr are played for laughs, but the graphic nature of dating apps is contrasted by the inadequate sex education classes. They’re shown how to put a rubber on a cucumber, but Harry bins Johnny’s condom and they do it raw. The school’s laughable Consent Class lacked detail and context. That educational failure has a darker hue when it collides with reality and teenage hormones.

The audience are led to believe that the openly gay student who leaves the school mid-term in a flurry of gossip is the victim of something nefarious. In the last scene, we learn that the boy in question identified a mild red flag in the attentions of an older student. He makes the dramatic, but calm choice to leave the school, rather than wait for a potentially abusive scenario to develop. Nothing happened. No drama. No trauma. A gay character wisely practising radical self-care, humility and awareness? Not seen that before. I’m VERY here for queer Jesus figures in these dark times of the devil.

Ned Blackburn and Harvey Weed have delightful chemistry, bouncing off each other with merry enthusiasm. They seem to be having huge amounts of fun, which is very entertaining to watch and extremely hard to feign. The script is so laden with comedy, that it’s easy to laugh through the darkness and miss some subversive turns. If there’s any justice in the world, Blackburn and Weed will be offered bigger gigs and the rest of their tour will be a sell-out success. A very fun and thought-provoking night at the theatre.

An Adequate Abridgement of Boarding School Life as a Homo is at Riverside Studio until 10th May and then on tour.

Reviewer: Stewart Who?

Reviewed: 1st May 2025

North West End UK Rating: