Luke (Lawrence Walker) is moving away to university in Leeds with his girlfriend, so his friends Zia (Waleed Akhtar) and Tommy (Sam Cole) decide that a three-man camping trip is the perfect send-off. They set off to Snowdonia with intentions to climb Mount Snowdon and end up finding more than just a mountain – the typical story of self-discovery of three Birmingham teenagers.

The three characters complement each other well and are believable: the love-struck Luke, the frustrated and ambitious Zia and the ‘Jack the lad’ loyal pal, Tommy. But throughout the performance of their characters are a little too monotone, too archetypal. It is only towards the end of the piece that they become more fully rounded – by this point the audience have not built a connection to allow them to engage with the characters’ journey of discovery.

The boys all perform well and have a great rapport between them, making the friendship believable. Waleed Akhtar gives the best performance. One can sense his harboured ambition which is ready to burst out. Lawrence Walker ably portrays the sensitivity of someone who is love-struck and missing his other half and Sam Cole creates a cheeky character that is easily recognisable. However, at times his gestures are a little too frantic to sit comfortably.

The set is minimalistic consisting of only a ladder, a grass covered slope and a few boxes. One might argue that an elaborate set is not needed for such a production, but one might also argue that this set adds nothing to the storytelling. The lighting design makes effective use of the resources available in The Door and suitably reflects the time of day and mood.

The writing is sharp, with some genuinely strong comedy moments and one-liners, but the action is a little too scatter-gun and frantic for its own good: there is little light and shade throughout. Yes, all the ingredients for a good story are there, but Back Down distances the audience from the action as the performers step out of character to narrate on too many occasions. This makes the piece easy to follow, but difficult to engage with.

Back Down has potential and is a good first stage effort from Steve Camden (aka Polarbear), better known for his spoken-word work, but refinements are certainly needed. A clever idea in concept, yet lacking guile and craft which it needs to draw the audience in.   ★★★☆☆   Sam Chipman 03/03/15