“A Very Violent Manner” Review

Ah yes, COVID, I bet you’re sick of hearing it, right? It has stopped life, daily routines, concerts, cinema visits, nights out. But it hasn’t stopped STAG. Overcoming the odds, Student Theatre at Glasgow took their play writing abilities to the - slightly smaller - laptop screen. A Very Violent Manner, (great title) is their latest play: a murder mystery hosted on zoom as a group of newspaper employees try to solve the murder of a colleague. It is a bit unusual, watching a play that is not only online, but based on Zoom. However, I think in these challenging times it is a breath of fresh air. Combining the zoom that everyone has become so familiar with, along with a tantalising tale of murder and mystery, the students act their heart out to create an eerie but entertaining watch. Each character is distinctive, some you loathe, some you laugh with. I’m sure you can all relate to the scenes of screaming and singing (whilst a bit steaming) over zoom with your mates. Yet, the fun dies down as the body's rack up, along with the suspicion. Will you work it out, or will you be the next victim? I won’t spoil it for you, but what I can say is that it is worth the watch! Hats off to the team who wrote, directed and produced this play. They managed to make zoom not boring for once, and instead used their creative abilities to make the most of a bad situation. Perhaps this is the future of plays?

Catch the final showing tonight at 7pm! Tickets are £4/5 and can be found on their Facebook event.