Happy Dave

The outdoor rave scene was one of the defining features of the nineties, until the Tory government of the day effectively killed it off in Parliament. Smoke & Oakum Theatre's new play pivots on the adrenalin rush of that time, presenting its pulsing beat as the rhythm of liberation.

Dave (Andy McLeod) was once a DJ playing to thousands, whose career ended with a police raid. Now, he's a frustrated advertising executive, fast approaching middle age. After a glimpse of what passes for a 21st-century rave both horrifies him and reignites his passion, he sets out to recreate a past he's never really left behind and organise his own rave nights.

Writer Oli Forsyth gives us rave as a golden age, before the slick pre-packaging of music by the likes of The X Factor and a society swarming like drones towards endless working hours and expensive cars. Tom Clarke's thumping sound design adds energy to Dave's impassioned speeches, and McLeod sells his character's despair at the present and his infatuation with the past. But Sam Carrack's restless production achieves a plateau too soon, while the play itself makes its point in the first 10 minutes and doesn't move much beyond it, with flashbacks that feel superfluous. It never fully explores the hints of egomania that Dave, now known as 'Happy Dave', is experiencing in his return to DJ-ing.

Ultimately, unlike its inspiration, this love letter exhausts itself through its unvarying nature. This show captures a moment, but suffers for its enthusiasm.