An impressive exploration of identity and finding your voice
Wonder Boy, an uplifting and poignant play written by Ross Willis, is sure to take you on an inspiring and deeply emotional journey. Directed by Sally Cookson, this 90-minute coming-of-age drama explores themes of identity, self-acceptance, and the struggle to communicate, centering on Sonny, a 12-year-old schoolboy grappling with a stammer. When Sonny is cast in a school production of Hamlet, he is forced to face the reality of his stammer head-on. His story goes from frustration to heartache, and ultimately triumph, making Wonder Boy a play that celebrates kindness, patience, and community.
Sonny, played by the excellent Hilson Agbangbe, is dealing not only with the burden of his stammer but also the emotional weight of having lost his mother. His shame and fear around speaking are ever-present, and the play invites us to feel his inner turmoil intimately; at several points, we hear Sonny’s internal dialogue by slowing down in real-time and letting us hear his panicked and frustrated thoughts as he struggles to speak and longs to ‘soar,’ ie. speak fluently like everyone else. His imaginary friend, Captain Chatter (Ciaran O’Breen), is a sounding board for Sonny’s frustration and anguish over his stammer. When he stammers badly, Captain Chatter is there to comfort and discourage Sonny from attempting speech again, reinforcing his instinct to withdraw from others. He is also a representation of Sonny’s love for art and drawing, his one safe space where he can fluently communicate his ideas and feelings.
Agbangbe’s portrayal is both vulnerable and relatable and I was on his side from start to finish. His emotional outburst midway through the play, where his frustrations spill out during Ms. Wainwright’s lunch break, is one of the most powerful moments in the show. This touching scene is met with a surprising confession from Ms. Wainwright (Eva Scott), who reveals her own past struggles with a stammer, bridging the emotional gap between teacher and student.
The scriptwriter, Ross Willis, must be commended for such well-written dialogue. The conversations between Sonny and the supporting characters are full of nuance and wit, bringing fun and depth to what could otherwise have been a heavy narrative. Every character, from Sonny’s charismatic and outspoken friend Roshi to the no-nonsense but caring Ms. Wainwright is brought to life with unique personalities that feel authentic and layered. Roshi (Naia Elliott-Spence), who Sonny meets in detention, gradually becomes a close friend and sprinkles humour throughout the story with her brazen and outspoken nature. However, I thought the play’s frequent swearing sometimes felt overused as a cheap way to elicit laughs, which once or twice detracted from the dialogue’s impact.
Much of Wonder Boy‘s tension comes from the conflict between Ms. Wainwright’s empathetic approach to teaching and the authoritarian stance of the new head teacher, Miss Fish (Jessica Murrain), who is solely concerned with making the school look good on paper. This character, distant and dismissive of the “troubled” students, adds a layer of social commentary to the play, touching on the disconnect between educational institutions and the multi-faceted, individual struggles of students like Sonny.
Director Sally Cookson deserves praise for her handling of these complex themes. The story unfolds in a way that feels natural, with dynamic pacing and plenty of emotional highs and lows. Cookson’s direction ensures the audience never loses connection with Sonny’s emotional journey. The visual design, created by Katie Sykes, complements this narrative beautifully, using minimalistic set pieces and multimedia projections to reflect the chaos of Sonny’s mind. The set design is functional and inventive, drawing the audience into Sonny’s world of letters, words, and fragmented thoughts.
For all its emotional depth, Wonder Boy is an uplifting and inspiring play. The touching ending leaves the audience with renewed hope and optimism as Sonny finally begins to accept himself and his stammer. Wonder Boy is a heartwarming and skillfully written exploration of the trials of adolescence and the power of self-acceptance. Its combination of fun, humanity, and emotional depth ensures it resonates long after you leave the theatre.