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Goodbye Rosetta starts with a couple on a roof staring at the stars. We then follow their group of friends through a different coming of age as most of them are dealing with mental health issues.
Foster sisters Keisha and Mo are misfits. Dylan puts up with Mo in order to please his best (and only) friend Keish. Mo’s depression causes a meltdown; her treatment brings in other troubled teens at an institution. They are forced to confront their new reality and find their way as the Rosetta space probe reaches its planned destruction.
Conor Baum has directed a tight production with scenes crossing and bleeding intoeach other to maintain pace. Oscar Lloyd is endearing as self-professed outsider Dylan. Pauline Kehlet-Schou stylishly portrays Keisha's attempts to reconcile her loved ones' oddities without centring everything back on herself. Bronte Sandwell-Moore allowsMo to be quiet yet exudes strength which she does not realise. Owen Edmonds and Jasper Ryan-Cater are totally convincing bad boys, while Georgia Simpson is pleasingly annoying as the clever girl brushing with their vibe. Brenock O'Connor and Amy Lubach effectivelyportray two gentle souls who initially appear to be staff but turn out to be fellow inmates. Mia Mottier presents a canny, violent Jodie who is too scared to reveal her fear.
The story wheels under the influence of the stars before it reaches a resolution morepositive for some than others. Goodbye Rosetta evinced a great response from the audience: confronting the issues of mental health can be a very positive experience!
Derek Benfield
