This is Our Youth at Silo Theatre

Here is a shiny, spiky coming-of-age comedy for people sick of the baby boomers' death grip on popular culture.

For too long this self-absorbed generation has pushed the line that the 60s and 70s created the only youth culture worth caring about. But never fear fellow members of the slacker generation - it is our turn now.

In staging this 1980s nostalgia piece the Silo Theatre is well ahead of the next big trend. The 80s are back in fashion with the return of synthesiser pop, puffball skirts, aviator glasses and even a big-screen version of Dallas.

This is Our Youth has all the 80s references any self-respecting Generation Xer craves, including Rubik's cubes, leg warmers and jerky step-tap, step-tap dancing (what were we thinking?). But it is also a fond look at the awkward transition from youth to adult.

The rich, bored kids in this play live in a cosmopolitan New York - worlds away from provincial 1980s Auckland.

Dennis deals dope and coke from an apartment paid for by his famous painter dad and social activist mum.

Warren has just stolen $15,000 from his lingerie tycoon dad.

And Jessica wants to party all night at the Plaza Hotel in between worrying about how embarrassing it is to have Reagan as a president and whether or not she should ring her mother.

These kids are well-educated, neurotic and bored, and when they get in trouble they have their parents' bank balances to fall back on.

While Aucklanders of the 80s might not have been taking coke and eating sushi there is still plenty to relate to. Playwright Kenneth Lonergan perfectly captures the naivety, passion and frustration inherent in a young person's search for identity.

His words are well served by charismatic performances from all three actors, who are young enough to relate to the emotions they are recreating.

Hannah Tolich's Jessica is more a plot device than a character but she performs well, goading the audience into more than one "oh no" moment.

Central to the success of the piece is the odd-couple relationship of Dennis and Warren. David Van Horn and Charlie McDermott rise to the occasion, giving strong well-rounded performances.

McDermott's Warren starts out as a spineless doofus but injects enough strength of character to make his growing maturity seem real. As Dennis, Van Horn is all vitriolic charm, reminding me of another Dennis, stand-up comedian and actor Dennis Leary.

Director Caroline Bell-Booth seems to have a way with period pieces, having been responsible for last year's charming Under Milk Wood. Here she proves again that she is skilled at harnessing design and performance to transport an audience to a vivid and complete world.

It starts from the moment you enter the theatre, walking down a retro apartment corridor and into the lounge of a druggy sophomore den. Once seated you are so close to the action that you have to stop yourself from giving the characters advice.

The sense of involvement is assisted by a spot-on design team. The 80s era is reinforced in Vanja Canzek's period-perfect costumes and the soundtrack created by Aroha Harawira and bFM's Jason Rockpig.

This is Our Youth has everything that we've come to expect from a Silo show - it is fresh, edgy, relevant and perfectly put together.* This is Our Youth is at Silo Theatre, to Apr 30