The Zero Yard
at Garage Theatre (Venue 81), Edinburgh

Ravi Bali

Winners of The Fringe First Award at Edinburgh last year, The Riot Group return with brutal prison drama The Zero Yard.

Two men, Plug and Preacher, and a woman, Sig, have shared a cell for some time, and are presented with a new cellmate. The new woman, who is referred to simply as 'fresh fish,' quickly becomes a source of tension when the dominant Plug claims he wants her for himself despite Sig already being his 'bitch'. They all turn on the new arrival and the play develops its bleak vision of the inhuman levels of cruelty that these life-term convicted killers will inflict upon one another.

There is little respite from intense suspicion, fear and hate. There are moments of black humour, but even these do not provide much relief from the oppressive mood of darkness that dominates the performance. The play is utterly gripping, engaging our sympathies for the newly arrived woman. With each newly threatened act of violence, we pray that she will not be brutalised further.

The intermittent background music has a heavy clanging beat, with a drone that brilliantly enhances the atmosphere of menace. The dialogue is great, and in the tradition of Robert De Niro's narration in Taxi Driver, has a lyrical quality. The contrast between the brutality of the story and the poetic, image-laden, speech, makes it a strange work. A peculiar combination of beauty and ugliness that allows the audience to enjoy the play while at the same time being repulsed by it. This is one you should definitely see - an intense experience.