FRAT by Max Allen at Old Red Lion Theatre 6 - 10 May
"The ensemble excels" ★★★
Max Allen’s 'FRAT', receiving its world premiere at the intimate Old Red Lion Theatre, is a play that dares its audience to sit with discomfort. Centred on the Beta Chi Omega fraternity brothers – Alex, Brent, Charles, and Dexter – it dissects the rot within performative masculinity, loyalty, and privilege, while pointedly refusing to resolve its central mystery: whether Brent (a magnetic, slippery performance) sexually assaulted a woman at a frat party. Allen’s script and a committed ensemble leave the truth tantalisingly ambiguous, mirroring the murkiness of real-world assault allegations where power, bias, and narrative spin obscure facts. It’s a bold, if uneven, debut that prioritises questions over answers.
The play’s strength lies in its refusal to moralise. Brent’s recounting of his “situationship” with the woman shifts constantly – one moment a consensual flirtation, the next a defensive tirade about being cancelled. His brothers, bound by frat rules that demand silence over accountability, react with varying degrees of complicity. Alex (played with tightly wound rigidity) polices the group’s image while suppressing his own vulnerabilities; Charles (a pitch-perfect blend of clownishness and emptiness) deflects with booze and banter; and Dexter, the outsider-within, delivers the production’s most quietly affecting turn, his moral unease simmering beneath resigned compliance.
Allen writes young men with a forensic ear for their contradictions – the bravado masking insecurity, the camaraderie laced with cruelty. The ensemble excels in early scenes, volleying rapid-fire dialogue that veers from frat-house vulgarity to chilling misogyny. Their chemistry feels authentic, even as their characters repel each other. Yet the play’s pacing stumbles in its second half, bogged down by repetitive debates about reputation management and offstage investigations. Scenes of the brothers sitting, talking about the scandal – rather than confronting its consequences – drain momentum, leaving the stakes feeling abstract.
Where 'FRAT' succeeds is in its uncomfortable ambiguity. By never confirming or denying the assault, Allen implicates the audience: How quick are we to judge Brent? Do we trust Alex’s cold authority, Dexter’s quiet dissent, or Charles’ deflection? The script’s lack of resolution is provocative, refusing to let viewers off the hook with tidy takeaways. This ambiguity is bolstered by the cast’s nuanced performances, particularly in fleeting moments of vulnerability – a crack in Brent’s smirk, Alex’s trembling hands, Dexter’s silenced protest.
Yet the production’s thematic ambition is almost fully matched by its execution. The play’s critique of institutional rot – the university’s performative investigations, the frat’s hollow codes – remains more gestured at than explored. Transitions between scenes feel abrupt, and the script’s tonal shifts from satire to tragedy don’t always cohere.
Still, 'FRAT' lingers as a conversation-starter. Allen’s writing, though occasionally verbose, crackles with potential, and the ensemble’s commitment elevates the material. For all its flaws, this is a play that understands the poison of brotherhood built on silence – and the high cost of asking who, exactly, that silence protects.
FRAT
By Max Allen
A Namesake Theatre production
Directed by Olivia Woods
Old Red Lion Theatre
6th May to 10th May
https://www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk/frat.html
Tickets £12 to £15
