Affluenza
Riverside Studios
until Saturday 21st November
Is someone ever too rich to not know the difference between right and wrong?
Is being brought up in a privileged environment an excuse to not accept blame for something?
These questions are becoming increasingly important in the world today, and Affluenza could have been an important and fascinating way to tackle these questions, but despite a solid premise and cast, the material falls flat and fails to take off.
This production seems very timely, given the similarities in themes it tackles and the shocking revelations about the Cornell University case. However, issues with the writing and pacing are what prevents this play from being deeply thought-provoking and hard hitting.
Directed and written by Andy Sandberg, Affluenza is inspired by the true events of then 16-year-old Ethan Couch’s drunk driving manslaughter case in America in 2013, and his legal team gave the defence of ‘Affluenza’ or being ‘too rich and spoiled to tell right from wrong’. Affluenza is set in the Hamptons, after a teen’s drunken car accident turns deadly. But who takes the blame? The play explores the ripple effects of the accident, and the role power and privilege play in shaping the lives of the people surrounding it.
Noah Schnapp, making his theatrical debut as Dylan, has little opportunity to make an impact, despite being the poster boy for this production. However, he does give an extremely convincing performance of teenage angst. Rupert Young is a standout as Dylan’s defence lawyer in Act One, and it is a shame that the lawyer character does not get more stage time. Juliet Cowan, Wallis Currie-Wood, Donald Sage Mackay and Janette Manrara multirole too, and they all handle it with an impressive ability.
However, this is when the production falls. It seems that Sandberg is trying to do and portray too much. The narrative travels at such a fast pace, that the characters do not have time to properly develop, and so they lack depth. There is a genuinely moving moment with a distraught father of one of Dylan’s victims, but he is not heard from again. It feels like such a potentially strong emotional thread, but as fast as it is introduced, it is abandoned.
In a play about such an incredibly intense moral struggle, there should be plenty of tension. Yet, there are no courtroom scenes and little dramatic confrontation – and we are just told that the court case had already happened. This is hugely disappointing because it would have been a very exhilarating watch.
The biggest issue though is that the two acts feel so tonally and thematically different that, for a while, I genuinely was not sure I was watching the same play. Going from the hard hitting and morally ambiguous narrative to the reality TV, dry ice, and lip-syncing world of the modern day was very jarring and felt very random. Whilst Act Two does bring slightly more emotion to the play, by then it feels like too little, too late.
Ultimately, the foundations of a very strong play are there. The premise is fascinating and the subject matter is undeniably prevalent, but Affluenza tries to tackle too much without giving its characters or ideas enough room to breathe.
It raises interesting questions about wealth, privilege and accountability, but does not make them hit as hard as they should. There is no satisfying conclusion or justice done either, so sadly it does not rise to the high expectations that it has set itself.
Reviewer: Helena Featherstone
Photo: Danny Kaan
⭐⭐
Cast
Juliet Cowan plays Ellen / Beverly / Liz
Wallis Currie-Wood plays Anna / Crystal
Donald Sage Mackay plays Dennis / Charles / Ron
Janette Manrara plays Rosa / Angela / Debbie
Noah Schnapp plays Dylan / Todd
Rupert Young plays Brad / Dylan