The performance has already begun as we enter the theatre and a fullish house is gathering.

We are confronted by a war-torn hospital scene; an occupied gurney is centre stage its metal frame shining in an otherwise dark and shadowy space. A wall of dirty, white Venetian blinds adds to the sense of recent devastation. The blinds are broken. The floor is covered with black rubber cuttings which helps deaden the sound.

House lights are up, reminding us that we are in a theatre and that none of this is real. At least, not yet.

House lights dim and we start on what is an excellent fifty-five-minute journey illuminated by a fine silent movie clip, the very best storytelling, and top shelf acting anchored in excellent relationship building.

The informative programme (get yours in advance from the Basement Theatre website) tells us that this retro futuristic play is set in a crumbling hospital ward. Cooper (Theo Shakes), a wounded soldier of the Technocratic Empire (the body on the gurney), wakes up disoriented, desperately searching for his lost axe, a relic tied to his family’s dark past. A squad mate, Vitor (Finley Hughes), a calculating and intellectual soldier with whom Cooper is not acquainted, tries to get him to safety, but their escape is interrupted by Richards (Callum Hibbert), a soft-hearted herbal medic, and Bentley (Justice Kalolo), a hardened soldier, both from The Revolutionary Syndicate.

In other words, a wartime conflict between the Technocratic Empire and The Revolutionary Syndicate and we already have two players from each side confined in this small space. There are resonances of The Last of Us and this is no bad thing. It’s also just context because this is a journey of relationships rather than ideologies as we learn that each of the young men identifies his current ideological loyalty as having been embedded in him in childhood. No real choice.

Contrary to expectation, we’re not asked to take political sides, nor are we asked to with a hierarchy of character popularity, with survival painted as the key objective for each of the characters and this is what eventually bonds them, with this illustrated by the primal – and rather beautiful discussion about mothers. Each of the characters paints a picture of his Mum and, like them or not, these portraits reinforce the ideological brainwashing and any evidence of heredity that might be visible in each of the elegantly etched characters.

Theo Shakes’ script is topflight and handled with panache.

The title of the work is The Play that Gets Louder which implies an exercise in decibels. It is, but it’s not. On a human level, the journey starts in silence with communication by hand signals, then whispers, and then everyday speech. There’s some soldierly yelling, and the sound arc certainly elevates but it never becomes unbearable so, in my opinion shouldn’t be a negative consideration in deciding whether or not to venture out to the Basement to see this excellent production.

The lighting (Molloy) is extremely effective, functioning as an additional sensory focus and, in tandem with the sound design (Hanan Mušović), all our senses are engaged to the full. The show is well integrated and the messaging – visual and aural – is really impressive. The sounds of war can alienate but, in this case, they do not.

With such a complete theatre experience, it’s important to acknowledge the whole team because there are no glaring weaknesses: makeup designer is Isabelle Finley Reid, costume designer is Frandson Bahati, and the excellent set is designed by Natalia Pereira. In the engine room there’s writer Theo Shakes, director Logan Cole, producer mentor Sananda Chatterjee, stage manager Ariadne Baltazar, production intern Tusekah Njoko, and production manager Rae Longshaw-Park. The outfacing team, who have been great to work with, are producer Keven Souza, and executive producer and dramaturg Dione Kouratoras Joseph.

Director Logan Cole can be extremely proud of his product.

Did I, as an audience member, enjoy the show? Yes, I really enjoyed it. It’s stayed with me. Many of the images I’ve reflected on have a deeper symbolic meaning and that’s really hard to embed in a script. The storytelling is outstanding. It’s accessible and moving. As a man in my early twenties, I was affected by a story whose characters are my age, especially knowing what’s happening to young people like us on both sides in Ukraine. It’s impossible to ignore, especially when the organic responses of the actors are so real.

There are surprises, and the ending is beyond exciting.

I have no hesitation in recommending The Play that Gets Louder to you, but I encourage you not to be put off by the title. It’s noisy at times, but easily manageable. There are content warnings which include depictions of violence, references to acts of war along with the associated paraphernalia including guns, a knife, and an axe, flashing lights, loud noises, and gun sounds.

Just like Netflix and TV – even the news.

It’s a new story told through a unique lens that touches on important topics like ‘the power of brotherhood in tough situations, and the deep love and connection a lot of us have for our mothers.’

It’s on until Saturday so book now.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer