PUNK ROCK by British Playwright Simon Stephens

PUNK ROCK the play closing at the Lucille Lortel Theater on Sunday, is a frenetic mess.  The rebellious theme of sex, drugs & rock & roll has now become  bullying, mental illness & gun violence.  Tackling these pervasive & unsettling issues by award winning playwright Simon Stephens (Curious Incident of the Dog) in his latest drama, attempts to address these matters.  Unfortunately, the play's characters' bombastic & rapid fire dialogue deluge what might have proved a provocative, topical  performance.  The one act, one set play takes place in an abandoned room in a private high school commandeered by 6 students.  New student Lily is simultaneously welcomed & interrogated by William whose erratic line of questioning sets a manic tone.  Fellow classmates include: a sexually demonstrative couple, Bennett & Cissy, Chadwick, the focus of of Bennett's cruel bullying, Tanya, overweight & outging and handsome Nicholas.  Tanya admirably tells Bennett to stop tormenting Chadwick who responds by spitting in her face.  Bennett's svengali hold upon his classmates is vile & outrageous.  Scenes are broken up by fevered pitched interludes of loud music, strobing lights & grotesquely masked characters.  The unsettling actions masque the climatic violent rampage & fail to provide any insight.  I commend the explosive contemporary issues tackled, but, I do not recommend the play.  The play's shock values titillate but demean their seriousness.