AFFLEUNZA
Riverside Studios
★★
“shows promise but still needs further development”
Making its world premiere, ‘Affluenza’ offers a timely exploration of wealth, power and accountability. While its ambitions are prescient, an uneven script weakens their impact.
Dylan’s been in an accident. That’s what everyone’s calling it. But surely when underage drink-driving leaves multiple people dead, prison is inevitable? Perhaps not in this play exploring what wealth, status and race can buy you.
Written by Andy Sandberg and loosely inspired by true events, ‘Affluenza’ ambitiously tackles privilege, race and the failings of the US justice system. There are flashes of real insight: a fraught encounter between the defence lawyer’s wife and a bereaved mother lands powerfully, and Dylan’s parents strikingly capture privileged detachment from reality. Todd sees just clearly enough to recognise his fate, adding a note of tragic inevitability that deserves further exploration. However other elements are less convincing. Act One introduces several characters and storylines that quickly fade from view. The opening promises a landmark court case, yet the trial itself remains offstage and while the focus on the aftermath is understandable, it sacrifices significant dramatic potential. Act Two then jumps to Dylan’s adulthood, feeling more like a new play than a continuation of the first. An unexpected musical interlude from a barely established character disrupts the flow. The play’s ambitions are admirable, but its execution needs development.
Sandberg’s direction often draws out the play’s competing perspectives, from the blinkered worldview of the wealthy, to the grief of those left behind and Todd’s uneasy awareness. The pacing is brisk and the transitions seamless. Yet many of Act One’s minor characters feel thinly drawn, and the rather sharp turn towards comedy in Act Two risks obscuring the play’s central themes. The multi-roling is a mixed success: having actors embody both privileged and bereaved parents adds welcome complexity, but other choices, such as the lawyer also playing older Dylan, feel less purposeful. Ultimately, both the production and script show promise, but neither feels fully realised.
Will Van Dyke’s music is clever and atmospheric, rhythmically cranking the tension at just the right moments. Charlie Corcoran’s striking set gives the anatomy of a beach house, dissected down the middle to expose the inhabitants within. Its Act Two transformation is effective, though could be pushed further. Hannah Schmidt’s costumes suggest Dylan’s emotional stagnation, leaving him visibly stunted by his upbringing and experiences. Jack Weir’s striking lighting adds dramatic punch, with bold transitions darkening the play’s realistic edge. Emily Drohan’s sound design is less assured, with distorted voices, intrusive footsteps and loss of some upstage dialogue. Elijah Hourrides’ wigs and hair effectively signal characters’ wealth and status, although Ron’s styling feels less convincing.
The cast bring commitment and conviction to the material. Noah Schnapp brings depth to Todd, capturing the existential drift of a young man trapped by the ‘affluenza’ legacy, even if his time as Dylan is fleeting. Juliet Cowan brings emotional weight to Beverly, a grieving mother struggling in the aftermath of tragedy, and her comedic edge as Liz shines. Donald Sage Mackay handles his multiple roles as Dennis, Charles and Ron with ease, shifting effortlessly between entitled outrage, bewildered innocence and eccentric comic relief. Janette Manrara and Wallis Currie-Wood make the most of their roles, though neither is given quite enough room to flourish.
Offering timely social commentary, ‘Affluenza’ shows promise but still needs further development. Though supported by a committed cast, much like Dylan it’s yet to fully realise its potential.
AFFLEUNZA
Riverside Studios
Reviewed on 5th October 2026
by Hannah Bothelton
Photography by Danny Kaan
