5:50pm Thursday 22nd March 2012
A 1970's play about youth unemployment and civil unrest is being given a timely revival by a fringe drama group.
Barbarians, penned by Barrie Keeffe in 1977, is set during a period of government spending cuts and social unrest.
It tells the story of three Lewisham lads Paul, Louis and Jan, left bored, broke and demoralized by the hand life has dealt them.
The plot spans a triology of short plays, capturing the lives of the young men as the audience witness the challenges and choices they face.
Parallels with today's society are clear throughout the play, with focus placed on their economic hardship.
Keeffe is famed for writing cult gangster film The Long Good Friday, as well as plays SUS and Gotcha.
This production will mark the first London performance of the play since 1990.
Keefe said of the revival: "While I am pleased Tooting Arts Club are reviving Barbarians, l am saddened that the three plays of the trilogy appear to still have the shocking relevance now that they did when first written more than 30 years ago."
Tooting Arts Club is a new fringe drama company, which was only established last year to bring professional productions to Tooting.
The group's founders describe the company as community-based, staging perfomances to highlight issues in the area, using Tooting to represent a microcosm of society.
Barbarians, The Broadway Studios, Tooting High Street, April 17-May 12, 7.30pm, Tickets £13.50/conc £9, 0845 6801926, tootingartsclub.co.uk
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