Kin, Royal Court Theatre

Play about 10-year-old girls at a 1990s boarding school is too short and obscure to satisfy

by Aleks SierzWednesday, 24 November 2010

Schoolgirl blues: Ciara Southwood as Mimi in 'Kin'Johan Persson

Middle-class family angst continues to be this season’s theme at the Royal Court Theatre, but this time it is seen through the eyes of 10-year-old girls at a 1990s boarding school. But don’t expect this to be an episode of Malory Towers or even the rather good-natured naughtiness of St Trinian’s. No, this is a bleak institution where the girls are foulmouthed and vicious in their rivalry. As Mrs B, who supervises the dorms, says to the headmistress: “They are small dogs doing what small dogs do.”

The actors are delightful in the extreme contrast between their tiny physiques and their adult language

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