Review: DON'T PANIC at Etcetera Theatre 21-26 April

"A thoughtful and ambitious piece that would benefit from sharper focus" ★★★

In a near-future world teetering on nuclear catastrophe, two stagehands clear the debris of a finished performance while the wider world hums with dread. When a drill interrupts their routine, the play pivots into something more discursive: a probing, often confrontational examination of fear, power, and the uneasy complicity of ordinary people.

The production adopts a Brechtian device to disrupt theatrical illusion. The stage is littered with remnants of a previous show, while the actors speak over the audience as they enter the auditorium, dismantling any sense of immersion before it has a chance to settle. It’s an arresting choice that aligns neatly with the play’s thematic core: question everything, especially what you’re being asked to accept.

Performance-wise, the piece is assured. Taylor Carmen - also the writer - is commanding and quietly persuasive as Mani, while Gabrielle-Norma Griffin’s Kid brings engaging vulnerability and curiosity. Their dynamic balances playfulness with conflict, though it’s in the gentler moments that the production truly resonates. Most notably, when Mani encourages Kid to imagine freedom for the first time, the play’s ideas land with emotional clarity rather than intellectual insistence.

Carmen’s writing is bold in intent but occasionally falters in execution. The structure feels loose, drifting between conversations and philosophical asides rather than building a coherent dramatic arc. While the play raises urgent and relevant questions - about the manipulation of fear by those in power, the cyclical follies of political elites, and the dangers of passive acceptance - it ultimately feels more like a series of provocations than a fully realised drama.

There’s no doubt that DON'T PANIC has something important to say, particularly about apathy and individual freedom. However, its message can feel overly circuitous. When the play connects, it does so with genuine poignancy; when it doesn’t, it risks losing its audience in the very fog it seeks to dispel.

DON'T PANIC is a thoughtful and ambitious piece that would benefit from sharper focus. It may not offer clear answers, but it asks questions that are undeniably worth hearing.

Roman Cowboy Production Presents 

DON'T PANIC

Etcetera Theatre

21-26 April

Box Office: https://www.etceteratheatrecamden.com/events/dont-panic-dkmhe-7hltc-m4wgb-rxshj