Sixth Form Play BULL is Impressive!

Last week, a cast of four took to the Deayton stage in this year’s Sixth Form Play, Bull by Mike Bartlett. Set in an office at a time of redundancies and pay cuts, three employees fought to keep their jobs, but the fight was in no way equal. Although no literal blood was spilled, the wounds cut deep as two of the group, Isobel (Lana C) and Tony (Max K), mercilessly tormented their ‘colleague’, Thomas (Sam P) but maintained plausible deniability when under the microscope of their boss, Carter (Emily B).

The cast were an impressive force, navigating Bartlett’s sharply written text with ease and finding the delicate balance between push and pull throughout. As an audience we were never comfortable. We knew something else was always around the corner, and that poor Thomas was in for yet another nasty attack. It was unnerving how easily Lana fit into the calculated and callous role of Isobel. Her barbs slipped out with ease, and she seemed to take genuine pleasure in the misery she caused. Her cool and calm demeanour only served to heighten the casual sadism of her character, making her audience distinctly uneasy. This sense of discomfort was heightened by Max’s Tony, also cruel, in a way reminiscent of the playground bully. The brash, overly confident charmer, Tony, toyed with Thomas like a plaything, throwing him off balance and constantly finding new ways to make him feel small. “Put your face on my chest” he said, and we squirmed. There was hope in Broughton’s role as Carter. Maybe she would put an end to the vile behaviour of her team…? Maybe she’d see them for the tormentors they were. But no. We watched as she observed and sided with the pair who had prepared their sales figures, and not the man whose name she couldn’t remember. Emily’s relaxed and authoritative demeanour only served to confirm; in this office, the bottom line wins out.

The beauty in the text is its wit and pace, the bullying being reminiscent of the matadors and their capes, teasing and goading the helpless bull. George M and Charlie S in Lower Sixth Form directed it brilliantly, finding the cruelty under the surface whilst pulling out the dark humour throughout. At just under an hour, one could be forgiven for thinking this was a simple play to produce, but the proof was in the final product; a lot of work and depth of thought went into it, and the whole production team should be hugely proud of what they achieved.