Bit of a dog's dinner

2:44pm Wednesday 23rd April 2008

Although what it says on the tin (of dog food) sounds interesting - the real-life tale of a six-year-old Russian boy found living with wolves - in practice this confusing piece of theatre from NIE at BAC simply does not ring true.

A jumbled array of contrived and shallow characters, accompanied by a live-music medley from, Sinatra to Punk, this play just cannot decide what it is about. And to cast a man in his 40s to play the main character, Ivan aged four, isn't clever, just daft. The inclusion of the cast using megaphones dressed in army coats, silly hats and shades playing arbitrary European numbers while Ivan is lost in Moscow, just comes across as contrived, adding nothing to any understanding or enjoyment. Big deal that the cast hail from different parts of Europe, that's what one expects in a big city. It doesn't automatically make for good theatre.

Although "Dogs" potentially has all the ingredients of a good and moving drama - poverty, tragedy, loss, addiction - none of these qualities are expressed with any pathos through its stereotypical characters, who evoked nothing more in me than the odd laugh. We have the nervy policeman, the hysterical lover, the alcoholic, the pedophile, all portrayed in a two-dimensional cartoon style, but not as good. The cast did their best given the poor direction and script, but to be honest, I think an evening in Battersea could be better spent. Disappointing stuff. Woof-woof.

My Life With Dogs is on until May 3; for tickets ring 020 7223 2223 or visit bac.org.uk