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Oh how the other half live, always so much better and so much bigger. Here, the haves are the Crosses, the have nots, the Noughts, indeed: in slang, and when swearing, the Daggers and the evocatively coined Blankers. And it鈥檚 no game when boy and girl meet in the middle. Inspired by Romeo and Juliet, there are a lot more Shakespearian elements here, and although some things never seem to change, like bigotry and war, rebellion now has escalated to terrorism.

Callum鈥檚 mother once worked for the Hadleys, while Sephy鈥檚 father, Kamal, is deputy Prime Minister. But the two young people have been close friends for years, and things surely can only get better, and more interesting, now he is allowed to attend Sephy鈥檚 school, Heathcroft. This has been his father鈥檚 dream, resented by brother Jude, who had been forced to drop out, but these two are united when tragedy befalls Lynette, daughter and sister. Yet greater tragedy lies ahead when circumstances compel Callum to join their dark forces.

A blank stage with a white backdrop is the setting for a beach, the young couple鈥檚 oasis.听 Switching to interiors is done via props, usually noisily hurled about on stage - and mostly furniture. The jarring effect, along with spiky music and the bringing of TV to life, where news commentators and interviewees circle those watching, does much to add to the tension. Most of this erupts from the violent hatred on both sides, creating the uneasy certainty that probably everything seen here is based on reality, although injustice is still one of the most potent means to stir emotions in an audience.

Justice to the story is indeed seen to be done by the exemplary cast, though Jude (Richard Madden) is stuck with an unremittingly villainous role. Similarly, there is a single instance of the two sides having a normal conversation; as this comes near the end, it maybe offers the slightest glimmer of hope. Family dynamics are vividly depicted, and amusingly at times, with sisters Minerva (Tracy Ifeachor) and Sephy.听 Life is more desperate and dysfunctional for the McGregors: sterling efforts from Louise Callaghan as Meggie, striving to keep the family together and to understand them, husband Ryan (Phil McKee) and Freddy White as the frail Lynette. Back at the Hadleys, Jo Martin manoevres a tricky balance between drunken and dignified as Jasmine, trying to cope with her daughters and overbearing husband Kamal (Tyrone Huggins), reprised as Mr Corsa the headmaster.

Tyrone Huggins as Callum and Ony Uhiara as Sephy make a perfect couple, almost as if simply being themselves whilst growing up, emotions seesawing. The latter possesses excellent comic timing, as did one member of the audience, with a solemn riposte to a rhetorical question, while the teenage onlookers could not contain themselves. There were frequent whoops and wolfwhistles, a听 contrast to the delicacy of the scene where the couple describe their lovemaking.听

But it is good to see plays which evoke such a response, and such a large turnout of young people. And not just them.听 The whole audience were vociferous with applause at the end of one of the best, most thought provoking productions seen at this theatre.