The Boys by Gordon Graham

Be prepared, this play is highly emotional, violent and when leaving the Theatre you will feel exhausted and amazed.
The Boys is showing at the Griffin Theatre, Darlinghurst until 3 March. The production has set the bar for the year and if all the plays at the Griffin are as good as this, theatre goers are in for a treat.
The story is about a family of three boys, their mum and girlfriends. The eldest brother Brett is about to be released from prison. The family who have been living in relative harmony are nervously awaiting his arrival. The play flits back and forth in time, each time it does you learn a little more of what is in store and what happened in the past. The tension rises as you realise that Brett's return is going to pull the family apart and something terrible is going to happen. The violence escalates in the second half and the scene with the three boys fueled with alcohol and hatred is truly terrifying.
This is a perfect play for the Griffin space, if you have never been, it is a small intimate theatre. This production not only had you on the edge of your seat but has you believing you are actually in the play. A number of times Brett points at the audience and confronts you, only to find that really he is talking to the neighbour. I am relieved that he didn't point at me, as I think I would have tried to hide!  A women sitting on the front row was clutching onto her husband the entire time and as Brett and his brother Glenn burst onto the stage to open the second half a woman screamed. You don't get audience reactions like these unless what you are seeing is totally believable and has you enthralled.  Apart from the play itself there are a number of other contributing factors. The set encompasses the whole theatre with corrugated iron walls and part of the front rows are used by the actors. The flyscreen door to the house is slammed shut every time an actor passes through and the eerie, violent sounding music all help to add to the tension felt in the theatre. 
This is the third production I have seen where Sam Strong has been the director, each of them has been excellent particularly the dialogue. He seems to be able to bring the best out of the actors and I am looking forward to seeing what he is directing next.
As you can tell I did love this play, it was flawless, but not only that, I liked it because it was so powerful, it didn't pussy foot around the topic, it was raw and challenging and the scary thing about it, is that there are people like The Boys among us in the world.