Every September and October in Britain, a specific form of migration takes place. Thousands of 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds cram their meagre (or not so meagre) possessions and the recently bought pots, pans and crockery into their parents’ car and set off for a new life at university. A rite of passage that the majority of the theatregoers attending Linnet Theatre’s production of The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret at Brockley Jack Theatre will have experienced on one or both sides of the equation.
This is an emotional, exciting and momentous time for students and their parents. A new academic year, a new term, a new start, a new life.
A word of warning here, though, especially to the parents of students who will be fleeing the nest for university this coming autumn. This is a story that has a number of very dark moments, which will do nothing to assuage parental fears of how their offspring will cope in the brave new world of university and adulthood.
As the audience enter, we see one of the new intake, Charlotte, unpacking her things and putting up a welcome sign in the shared kitchen/common room for her new companions. Charlotte is as prepared as she can be, even having brought crystal jewellery presents for her new companions.
We meet her companions one by one as they enter the fray.
There is Henry (Brodie Husband), whom we first meet wandering on in his boxer shorts; a slightly pugnacious, hard-drinking party animal, never far from a beer bottle and who always seems to have some recreational drugs on his person.
Then there is Bex (Emily Dilworth), an outwardly confident, up for it, “live in the moment” woman but who carries a degree of baggage from a colourful past, especially an ex-boyfriend who cannot accept that their relationship is over…
We then encounter Luke (George Ryder), a self-assured, positive and engaging guy who appears to be taking student life in his stride, deftly balancing the twin demands of partying and (occasionally) studying.
Finally, we meet Kane (Oliver Edwards), an intense introvert with a brooding nature. Kane is a teetotaller, quiet and reserved and devoted to his studies. His first act upon moving in is to head off to the library to “get a head start” on his work. Unsurprisingly, he gets a first in the end of first year exams.
Charlotte (Katie Emanuel) is a mass of uncertainties and neuroses. A serious girl who has lived very much in the shadow of her demanding, controlling parents. She is looking to achieve academic and sporting excellence, keen on early nights and getting the right amount of sleep to represent the university at hockey, and pass all her exams, to make her parents proud of her.
Throughout the course of a hugely entertaining ninety minutes, we get to know these young adults very well, enjoying the interplay between them, laughing at their antics and preoccupations and empathising with their determination to live student life to the full in their own very different ways.
And yet, and yet. As the play progresses, the awareness grows that a dark, foreboding shadow looms over their house and their shared relationships; that not everyone is as they first appear to be. A hitherto buried past is slowly wriggling to the surface and is going to have devastating consequences for them all. Oh, and why is one of the rooms permanently locked?
What begins as a well-observed and naturalistic comedic piece of social realism slowly changes, evolving into a dark tale, almost gothic at times, of mystery and dread, of premonitions and, eventually, horrifying reality.
Make no mistake, this production features ensemble playing of the highest order. The cast are uniformly excellent, with pitch-perfect characterisations that never lapse into parody or over-emphasis. All of the portrayals are pointed and effectively delineated. Dialogue is crisp, pacy and delivered with a perfect sense of naturalistic timing, and this helps the narrative pace fizz along.
A word of praise here, for the structure of the piece. It was absolutely the correct decision to run the play continually over ninety minutes without an interval. The narrative thrust would have been damaged by the need to redevelop the escalating tension after a break. As it was, the plot had time to progress and flourish at its own pace, and this helped to emphasise the shocking nature of the denouement.
Lighting and sound were appropriate to the play, with a particularly effective use of red and green spot lighting at pertinent moments.
The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret is a thoughtful, nuanced play about the stresses and strains of building a new life and identity, and the concomitant need for friendship, trust and openness in doing so. The inherent dangers of how things can intensify and spiral out of control when there is no one left to confide in and share a burden with are well delineated, and the climax is genuinely disturbing.
I had, up until now, not been aware of Linnet Theatre. On the basis of this production, they are a group well worth looking out for.
Review by Johnny Oxford
“I think we may be becoming actual friends, it’s quite nice. Do you think we’re friends?”
Car packed, reluctant kisses and goodbye hugs enforced. You protect and raise them for 18 years, but what happens once they fly the nest?
A cast of young adults move into their university accommodation, taking the opportunity to reinvent themselves, clinging to new bonds for dear life before realising not everyone is as they first seem…
A shadow looms over the house, attempting to raise their buried pasts to the surface. Who will face the shadow? And who will manage to keep a secret?
Charlotte – Katie Emanuel
Henry – Brodie Husband
Rebecca (Bex) – Emily Dilworth
Luke – George Ryder
Kane – Ollie J Edwards
Written by George Ryder and Brodie Husband
Directed by Emily Prosser-Davies
Presented by Linnet Theatre
THE LOST ART OF KEEPING A SECRET
Jack Studio Theatre
3 to 7 March 2026
