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Decky Does a Bronco, King George V Park

Alice Jones
Monday 09 August 2010 00:00 BST
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These days, you can't walk down the street for plays in car parks and warehouses, but in 2000, when Grid Iron premiered Decky Does a Bronco in a park, they were pioneers of site-specific theatre.

Now back in its original home, the lively production shows few signs of getting old.

The year is 1983 and we're introduced to a boisterous gang of boys. A rusting set of swings becomes the focus for their summer holiday scuffles, Star Wars re-enactments and tireless attempts at doing a "bronco" – standing up on the swing and jumping off at the right moment to send the seat sailing over the top.

The puppyish male cast attack the physical challenges of the piece with the boundless energy of children. But, as the boys' older, wiser selves remind us as they wander in and out of the action, play days can't last for ever. While the dialogue feels a little slight at times, Douglas Maxwell's elegiac piece builds up to the final death of innocence with memorable momentum.

To 21 August (0131 228 1404; Traverse.co.uk)

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