Build a Rocket

Fasten your seat belts fringe dwellers, as you are about to witness the brutally honest and revealing tale of Jasmine, a 16-year-old girl from Scarborough, 300 kilometres from London.

On the exterior Jasmine is a tough talking lass doing just enough to get by. Living with an alcoholic Mother and her arrogant partner, she yearns for a better life.

After being abandoned by her friends at the local nightclub, she finds herself chatting with the local DJ Daniel, a sweet-talking, good-looking young man from the right side of town. After a whirlwind romance, Jasmine finds herself pregnant. With no support from the expectant Father and her Mother, she feels she has no choice but to consider the termination of her pregnancy.

This is a show that could live in the present day. What are the real options for young girls who find themselves alone and pregnant? Playwright Christopher York has tackled this and many other questions in his debut full-length script. Mixing it up between prose and poetry, his narrative is sincere, funny and heart-warming. A strong piece of theatre that hits the ground running, it’s a vivid detailing of a young girl’s journey into the world of responsibility and motherhood.

This knock-out monologue is in the safe hands of Serena Manteghi, an exceptional performer from London. This role required endurance, empathy, physicality and raw emotion. Manteghi had all of this in spades. Her interpretation of her role was met with compassion and pathos.

A simple playground setting which doubled as an apartment was all that was needed, as Manteghi told the story with exuberant detail. Youthful beats, sound effects and muted lighting played well with the structure of the piece.

This is 60 minutes of brilliant story-telling, delivered fervently. You are invested in the outcome, making it a stirring piece of theatre.

Kerry Cooper

Photographer: Sam Taylor.

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