The wonderful thing about theatre is its ability to resurrect forgotten topics or personas of the past, and give the audience the ability to view them through a modern day lens. Such is the case with Harry McDonald’s Foam, which has its premiere at the Finborough theatre in London.
With right wing ideology, fascism and nationalism on the rise, Foam, directed by Matthew Iliffe, takes us back to the mid-seventies and the teenage years of Nicky Crane. The play is based on this figurehead of the skinhead movement, neo-nazi, and secret homosexual, undoubtedly a contentious and contradictory figure.
In this version Nicky meets ‘Mosley’ in a public toilet and is fairly swiftly indoctrinated to the British Movement with a pair of Doc Martin boots. This first scene, like the ones that follow is just a snippet of Nicky’s life over two decades; working as security as a smoke screen for his gay lifestyle, performing in amateur pornography, and his eventual demise from AIDS related illnesses.
Nicky will go on to meet more people in the subsequent scenes. Having already appeared as Mosley, Matthew Baldwin returns as Craig. Kishore Walker is both photographer Gabriel and pornographer Christopher, while Keanu Adolphus Johnson shines as the fascist bashing Bird.
The biggest problem is that Crane isn’t a well enough known figure in the present day. These short scenes never give us enough context about the life he was leading, or the violent hate crimes he was committing. McDonald certainly gets the contradictory nature of the character spot on, but unless you’re familiar with the real life figure, it could also be mightily confusing.
Despite showing us mere snapshots of this life, it all moves quite slowly. Meandering its way through twenty years, Foam doesn’t give us enough tension or create the sense of fear that a character like Nicky should elicit in the audience.
Designed by Nitin Parmar, that public convenience, replete with urinal and spy-hole forms the backdrop for each scene. Foam hints, but never explicitly says, that Nicky would meet men in public toilets for sexual encounters, by not exploring this side more deeply we struggle to fully grasp the part his sexuality played in his life.
Jake Richards, as Nicky, is the only actor to appear in every scene. It’s a strong performance that flexes from vulnerability to vehemence, and in the final moments, Richards’ tender portrayal brings real emotion when Nicky must surrender his very identity.
Foam is an interesting reflection on the life of a forgotten, albeit unsavoury, figure. But it only skims the surface of what could be a fascinating story, and doesn’t quite manage to link the past to the present.
Foam is at Finborough Theatre until 13th April 2024
