Alma Mater at first glance appears full of cliched stereotypes. There's the graduate who became a teacher, one who became a bastard Solicitor but who secretly enjoys it (he's also gay), one who became an actor but ended up being a female impersonator (not gay just theatrical), one who graduated with a politics degree and can't find a job, and one who dies in a car crash years after they graduate and fall out of touch. Oh and they all shared a house at uni, all were best friends and all went there separate ways until the aforementioned car crash reunites them in grief.
For a moment you could be forgiven for thinking you've wandered into a previously unaired episode of friends crossed with a softer version of shallow grave, but you'd be wrong. Alma Mater is a skilfully interwoven story, part monologue, part four handed drama, it uses every drama device it can lay it's hands on, softly mixed with a dialogue by Jenny Hughes that strays towards patronising but dives the other way when it should, and a deft but subtle piece of directing by Emma Merton.
50 minutes though is to short for this play. At the end it feels like there should be another act (at least) to allow us to enjoy and explore the lives of this tight social unit. If any play can transfer to the west end, it's this one, but it would need to be expanded out, perhaps coming back in a years time after the funeral to find out how all the various plot lines are resolved.
Plenty of good acting here but keep an eye out for the names Joshua Manning and Matthew Romain, scene stealers both they are clearly stars of tomorrow.
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