The Late Utopians *****

Emma’s world is orderly. A New York based journalist, she sees herself as a bastion of society. Her role is to observe and report, to forewarn, perhaps even to obviate.

As a now staffed journalist, her latest commission is to report on an underground rave culture gaining traction across Queens and Brooklyn. This is most definitely a step beyond her comfort zone, not knowing this genre at all. However, she sweeps back the translucent curtain to enter one of these underground clubs.

Her world collides with this subculture, in which night becomes day becomes night again. Suddenly the routine mechanics of working 9-5 not only seems far removed, but these inhabitants actively avoid such discussions. Your day job – should you have such a thing – is of no concern.

She meets Mark, all garrulous nervous energy and compulsive smoking, and they form a relationship. She is sucked into this new world. And yet he remains inscrutable – it seems the other ravers know more about him that he has shared with her. After an argument, his truth is revealed - activism, arrest and probation. He will be unable to accompany her on a work assignment to London.

All of this unfolds against the backdrop of the post Covid-19 pandemic, in which the norms of society were shaken. One of the themes of The Late Utopians is the construction of new realities, new futures, new normals — and the possibility that these might exist outside the structures we have inherited.

Every aspect of Coggia’s production is excellent. Alfie Jones’ script is layered, provocative, rich, and yet subtle. The staging propels the narrative between a book reading, the relentless pulse of a techno beat rave landscape, and the calm light of day at an apartment. Moreover, it allows Lily Walker space to showcase her talents.

Walker’s performance is startling. Her understated storytelling is superb, but it is her physicality that really catches the eye. The multiple shifts in character, sometimes conveyed through nothing more than a seemingly innocuous movement, are sublime. There are moments of stillness and introspection in which silence itself resonates. Credit is also due to Jones’ direction, which allows these moments to breathe.

These are fractious times. Political and social opinions appear increasingly polarised, populism has taken hold, and all of this exists within an environment where echo chambers flourish.

The Late Utopians is an exciting, beautifully crafted play, but it is also deeply poignant. One of its most compelling questions is whether journalism can change the future.

Because somebody will.

Underbelly Cowgate, until 30^th August.