Quick witted, thought provoking and very good fun.
Following Jack, a reluctant Hufflepuff, as he navigates bullies, coming out, love and. keeping more secrets than the Chamber itself, this 75 minute play is an absolute delight. Written by Robert Holtom, and boasting the VAULT Festival Origins Award as well as an OffWestEnd.com short run commendation to its name, it doesn’t disappoint.
Quick witted and fast paced we follow Jack on a whirlwind journey through time as he tries to manufacture a happy ending occasionally forgetting that sometimes the most important love you can have is that for yourself.
Holtom’s play expertly conjures up the nostalgia of the 00’s to the laughter of the audience and admittedly a little bit of shame. I haven’t forgotten at school how easily kids used ‘gay’ as an insult, in a variety of forms, without any real acknowledgement or thought for the harm, oppression and fear this would cause to any one wishing to be honest about their queerness, or indeed explore it. The lack of education in those years led to ignorance and little consideration for those exploring their sexual identity and created vacuums of tolerance, support and acceptance that are only starting to be addressed in recent years. As the programme acknowledges these characters lack role models – it’s not until near the end of the play we start to see adults become advocates for these developing minds and their journey although even then the oppression is still very real.
Despite the difficult topic covered the general mood of this play is lighthearted, hopeful and charming, taking the audience along on a journey of love and heartbreak and self-acceptance. Although there are a few tough parts these are all addressed well by the plot and offer lessons to be learned or things to consider making them key markers in the story.
The talented cast of Alex Britt (Jack), Charlotte Dowding (Gemma, Sally, Madame Dubois and more) and Martin Sarreal (Ollie, Martin and more) brought an infectious enthusiasm and energy to the stage. Dowding especially had quite a few standout moments of comedic gold, particularly when she ended up acting a two hander by herself. Britt was a strong lead although I did personally struggle to connect with him at certain points as his character was a little too unrealistic in my mind occasionally. Sarreal was hilarious as Martin, Jack’s father, and played the cruel schoolboy well when required. I did find the chemistry between Britt and Sarreal a little lacking but this could have been due to the multiple character changes required of Sarreal that there was little chance for Britt and Sarreal to explore and bring to life the required chemistry on stage.
This is a great short show and I’d fully recommend you catch it whilst it’s at the Southwark Playhouse – I hope it embarks on a tour as I think it has a strong message to share as well as shines a light on the continued importance of education and support for all those exploring whatever aspect of their identity that they need to.
