Rosie Day’s Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon started life as a set of preview performances at the Old Red Lion. Sitting in the audience back then, it was clear this was a show destined for bigger things. Its first official showing was in 2022, with Day also performing the role of ‘Girl’, at Southwark Playhouse, and now it comes to the West End’s Garrick Theatre for a limited run of Sunday performances.
It’s probably fair to say that not many of us look back on our teenage years with much fondness, and teenagers now seem to have it tougher than ever thanks to the effects of social media and the rise of cyber-bullying.
Girl, the central character in Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon, has had a tougher time than most. Grieving a sister who died from an eating disorder, and watching her parents marriage implode as a result, is just the beginning.
With director, Georgie Staight, returning to the production, it has a similar feel to the Southwark Playhouse run, although Bridgerton’s Charithra Chandran takes over the role of Girl. And a demanding role it is too, for this is an eighty minute monologue which rarely takes its foot off of the pedal.
The story is told as Girl attempts to achieve a complete set of Scout badges, voiceovers from Scout Leader Susan (Maxine Peake) take us from one scene to the next, the badge in question often having a bearing on what’s about to unfold.
It’s at Scouts where Girl feels like she belongs; struggling to make friends at school after being labelled ‘the dead girl’s sister’, and having no respite at home as her parents start seeing other people, and a new step-sibling comes into the picture. It’s also at Scouts that she meets Ella (Isabella Pappas appearing via pre-recorded video) who offers Girl something she desperately wants; friendship.
Day’s script is largely humorous, even if it is a dark and twisted comedy that often has the audience gasping, before surrendering to the deadpan wit so beautifully delivered by Charithra Chandran. Girl is going through a traumatic time, and the script never hides from that, especially in later scenes when she also deals with sexual assault.
Beyond Girl’s outward bravado, Chandran very convincingly conveys the vulnerability of a young teenage girl, without resorting to a childlike performance. It means we see Girl less as a girl, and more as a human, dealing with a series of difficult situations. In this tour-de-force performance from Charithra Chandran we delve deep into the societal pressures that so many young people face, particularly girls.
Jasmine Swan’s pastel bedroom set is brought to life by Dan Light’s video design, which also includes the pre-recorded elements; sometimes they play in the background, putting faces to the names, while at others, Girl interacts with them, such as with her parents (Shelley Conn and Philip Glenister). It’s a nice touch that breaks up the longer pieces of monologue, though Chandran also does a wonderful job of voicing these characters too.
Much like Girl, Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon has gone on quite a journey, and the version we now see in the West End feels like the most polished. It manages to speak to everyone, focusing on making sure young people are not left resigned to what their fate is, and how we all have a part to play in that.
