A new professional group named the Broke Theatre Company - is there any other kind? - have set out their stall at the Dry Rain Theatre in Dargle Road, Bray. They have, a new play, Hype, by Noel Mac Aoidh, some new faces and a talented young director in Mark O'Brien.

The set design by cast, crew and local artist Mark (Rasher) Kavanagh (who has a concurrent exhibition at the venue) grabs the attention immediately. One has the sense of walking into a small, market type shop, a psychedelic confusion of second hand records, tapes, clothes and bric a brac. Enter a youth bent on robbery, if necessary by violence, and we're off.

There are in fact two competing robbers and one shop assistant, and the first act treads a wavering line between realism and farce. The dominant thief, Jon, is a calloused professional with a hit them first philosophy, whereas Zac is a scared adolescent behind a facade of bluster. An odd relationship grows between them and the assistant Dray, a young man who feels exploited in his job and life.

It really takes off in the second act as the trio pop pills, play music and start to swing. Jon controls the scene, very manic and mirthful until things go off the rails, and we are back to crime and consequences with a final wrench. This oscillation between unbridled fun and serious observation is uneven, and the plot, dialogue and characters suffer by it.

But the author has created a wonderfully engrossing character in Jon, portrayed by Aidan Kelly with total credibility and some magnetism. Colm Coogan and Michael Roddy back him up well, notably in the comedy routines, and the direction explores the play's possibilities with sensitivity and pace. The production fairly buzzes with youth and energy to be, finally, enjoyably bigger than its flaws.