Review: AFFLUENZA at Riverside Studios

Affluenza feels a bit like two separate plays stitched together - individually solid, but together unable to deliver fully on that potential. The first act explores the aftermath of a drunk driving accident that claimed multiple lives. The driver, Dylan, is a wealthy teenage boy whose parents hire one of the country's top lawyers to get him off. The second act jumps several years into the future, where a grown-up and washed-up Dylan is now the star of a trashy reality show and navigating his complicated relationship with his embittered teenage son Todd.

The first act lays the foundations for a truly fascinating story: the 'affluenza' defense that Dylan's lawyer concocts, which blames his moral deficiency on the privileged cocooning of his upbringing, is inspired by the real-life 2013 trial of Ethan Crouch, a Texan teenager who killed four people in a drunk driving accident. The concept of a get out of jail free card designed for privileged white young men feels especially topical in light of the recent Cornell 7 rape case. Through this scenario where something that should be black and white is painted as grey, Sandberg explores the nature of justice itself, a word that can't be defined without a synonym of itself. He also touches on the racial politics of America, and how certain demographics are more palatable as victims from a media perspective.

But frustratingly, the play never expands on any of these elements satisfyingly. We're never shown the court case or the media fallout, and many interesting plot threads, character dynamics, and moral questions are left hanging. The jump forward in time is jarring and leaves the first act feeling unfinished. The second act pivots towards exploring the absurdities of reality television and the artificial framing of its subjects to make them appealing to audiences. It takes the same satirical tone, spotlighting the ugliness of those who are out of touch with reality, but is thematically so different from the first act (and vastly less interesting) that it feels difficult to digest for an audience.

That's not to say that Affluenza isn't an entertaining watch. It's packed with black comedy and absurdist humour, in the form of characters who deliver the most outrageous sentiments completely earnestly. We're left both horrified and amused at how out of touch the Marcus family is - they insist that Dylan didn't kill anyone, people simply died as a result of his actions. There's also a lot of rapid-fire dialogue as characters debate each other in circles, with subtle moments of profundity layered beneath wit and satire.

The cast, cycling between different parts, is undeniably the best part of the performance, but the stitched-together nature of the script, comprised of vignettes where characters appear and disappear abruptly, means they're not given enough room to shine. Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp was the big star power draw for the play, quite literally the poster boy, but has a surprisingly diminished role in both acts, which feels like a wasted opportunity. Despite that, he manages to make both roles feel fresh and distinct - playing father and son across the two timelines, which feels like a nice thematic parallel. He makes Dylan feel clueless and oblivious rather than malicious, while the angsty Todd is both aggravating and sympathetic. It's a solid stage debut for Schnapp, who skillfully inhabits both foul-mouthed, slightly twisted characters, firmly set apart from his boyish, heroic Stranger Things character.

Janette Manrara is another stand-out who feels underutilised. In the first act, as both a cynical, no-nonsense lawyer and the Marcus family maid who has a tender but frank relationship with Dylan, she's compelling and multifaceted, but both roles are frustratingly small. In the second act, she'd reduced to providing comedy as a frazzled production assistant. Rupert Young is really the actor who takes centre stage as Dylan's lawyer Brad in the first act and the older Dylan in the second, packing both characters with depth and complexity. Wallis Currie-Wood acts as the moral voice of reason as Brad's wife in the first act, but is over-the-top and grating as the older Dylan's girlfriend Crystal in the second act, where the characters feel more like caricatures of themselves.

Another point in the play's favour is its lush, richly detailed set designed by Charlie Corcoran. The split level stage allows us to observe what's happening in different parts of the house simultaneously - particularly effective when we see Dylan nonchalantly playing video games in his bedroom upstairs while his parents debate his fate with Brad in the living room downstairs. It's also a dynamic set, with slickly moving sections that break away to transform into a lawyer's office or an outdoor fruit stand without breaking our sense of immersion. During the second act, the stage remains stagnant, effectively evoking the sense of claustrophobia Dylan's family feels while under the cameras.

Affluenza has all the ingredients of a great piece of drama, but the disconnect between the two acts means it's unable to do those ingredients justice, and leave it feeling a bit unfinished. Taken separately, I would give the first act a strong four stars and the second act a middling three stars. But alas, it only gets one shot, and just about misses the mark for what it could have been.

Affluenza Tickets