REVIEW: ABSENCE OF YOUTH by Theo Duddridge at Golden Goose Theatre until 31 January 2025

‘Interesting idea in need of a lot of work’ ★ ½   

Four young people are stranded in a dystopian world. We gather that the development of a miracle drug which can cure all forms of cancer and other fatal illnesses has somehow brought the world as we know it to an end. There is danger, pulsating fear and challenging dynamics between the survivors. It’s not a bad idea for a play.

There’s pleasing performance from Izaak Hamilton-New as the middle-class Henry usually able to keep calm and nice work from Jaspar Albright as Michael, the effective leader of the group who tries hard to allay fear and diffuse situations. 

Beyond that, sadly, the best thing which can be said about it is “work in progress”. The worst is that it reminded me of a hastily devised piece by a Year 10 group for a school assembly, complete with a lot of defiant shouting, swearing and violence of which, in my years as a teacher, I saw dozens.

The show is over-reliant on voices off. It’s not the most dramatic device to open a show with although it does make the miracle cure issue clear by presenting it as a radio news bulletin. Later other voices and loud music simply muddy the storytelling.

The cueing is weak too. At one point at the performance I saw the music started at the wrong time, And (I think) there’s meant to be a gun shot which didn’t happen thus making nonsense of the reactions on stage.

Then there’s the length issue. Absence of Youth is billed at 45 minutes. Actually it ran on press night for 38 minutes. In common with most critics I quite like short shows but 38 minutes is barely worth the effort of travelling to the venue. 

ABSENCE OF YOUTH

Written and directed by Theo Duddridge

Final Run (theatre company)

Golden Goose Theatre

27 – 31 January 2026

https://www.goldengoosetheatre.co.uk/whatson/absence-of-youth