Firebird review, Hampstead Theatre Downstairs

It was only a matter of time before someone dramatised the Rochdale child abuse scandals and Phil Davies has done a creditable job with Firebird, a three-hander that examines the grooming and abuse of a fourteen-year-old. He's even enticed Hampstead Theatre's Artistic Director, Edward Hall, from the main stage to the tiny downstairs studio, to direct the 75 minute play. It's a harrowing watch and its certainly dramatic. What isn't so clear is what we take away from it.

The story follows Tia - excellent Callie Cooke - through her meeting with AJ at a kebab shop, to his grooming of her with cigarettes and rides in his Mercedes. The scene in which, bloodied and in pain, abandoned on a filthy mattress in a locked room over the kebab shop, the teenager shouts and hits herself in a state of high distress after multiple abuse by the gang, is unbearable to watch. It's unsurprising that a couple of audience members upped and left.

It's very clear to see in Firebird, how neglected teenagers like Tia are seduced by trinkets and false promises into believing they're loved by the men who groom them. Phaidut Sharma as AJ is brilliant in the grooming scene, slowly coming to life as he realises that the girl in front of him is lost, chaotic, neglected, and available. Even when he's at his most cruel, he provides Tia with a level of stability. Sharma doubles as a policeman to enforce the point that these girls were doubly abused, first by the rapists, and then by the police who disbelieved them. Tahirah Sharif as Katie, is the friend who tips the balance: is she there to save Tia, or be in turn corrupted by her?

In conclusion: It's probably too soon to assess the wider lessons of Rochdale. It is also too soon to hope for revelations through their dramatisation. Firebird confirms and consolidates head-on what we have read, but can't offer analysis or insights regarding the culture of the perpetrators, and how we might identify and safeguard tomorrow's vulnerable minors.

References
Firebird, Hampstead Theatre, Tickets


Hampstead Theatre, Eton Terrace, London NW3    Run ends 24 October