CABLE STREET
Marylebone Theatre
★★½
“an important story with a compelling core and an impressive cast”
After two sold out 2024 runs, ‘Cable Street’ marches back into London. Based on the Battle of Cable Street, where ordinary people stood up to antisemitism and fascism, this musical offers a timely take on community but never quite finds its rhythm.
October 1936. Fascism is rising across Europe. Oswald Mosley’s antisemitic British Union of Fascists (BUF) plans to march through London’s Jewish East End. East Enders amass in their thousands in protest, reaching boiling point at Cable Street. The crowds roar “¡No pasarán!” (“They shall not pass”) – but can they hold the line, and at what cost?
Reworked since its 2024 productions, ‘Cable Street’ has a strong core but muddled execution. Alex Kanefsky’s book distils events into three quintessentially East End perspectives – Jewish, Irish and working class British. Kanefsky sharply captures how the increasingly disenfranchised, working class Ron is drawn in by the BUF, and how anger pushes Jewish Sammy to the brink of murder, offering a clear-eyed look at human complexity. Each period of unrest cleverly shifts the communities from resistance to rupture to resolve, emphasising the message of strength through solidarity.
Other elements land less well. The wider narrative feels scattered and superficial, juggling multiple families, supporting characters, conflicts and even centuries. The shared flat scenes grow more engaging as the families interweave, but never quite land on what binds them. Even central character arcs feel loose: the Sammy-Mairead romance (briefly a triangle with Ron) fizzles out by Act 2; and Ron’s unravelling feels underdeveloped. The present day frame – opening without a strong hook, fading out in Act 2, and ending on an underwhelming note – fades alongside the far richer 1930s thread.
Adam Lenson’s direction, with associate Hetty Hodgson, sharpens Sammy and Ron’s inner struggles and adds real weight to the mothers’ perspectives. However, there are some puzzling choices: the Hamilton style Act 1 button feels overfamiliar, the candy coloured BUF number is tonally confusing, the Times sandwich board feels cartoonish, and the leaflet based ‘violent resistance’ feels unintentionally ironic. Several sections feel static, with sparse and sometimes simple choreography from Jevan Howard Jones which makes Sammy’s fluid street dance feel a little incongruous.
Tim Gilvin’s score, supervised by Tamara Saringer and directed by Dan Glover with Bianca Fung assisting, taps into the 1930s East End’s multicultural soundscape, blending Irish folk, Klezmer, Jewish liturgy and Caribbean influences. However, it’s also crammed with contemporary styles, such as R&B, drum and bass, and a big dose of rap for Sammy, which don’t always gel. Furthermore, genres change abruptly mid song – sometimes more than once – and don’t always align with dramatic tone. However, ‘Only Words’ and ‘Stranger/Sister’ are beautiful stand out songs. The band (Elizabeth Boyce, Robyn Brown, Joel Mulley, Max Alexander-Taylor) delivers a richness that belies their small size.
Yoav Segal’s set design is striking, with the bleak, raw exterior softening into the families’ homes. Sam Waddington and Ben Jacobs’ lighting leans into these contrasts with some strikingly dramatic moments, though others could be further developed. Charlie Smith and associate Mike Woods’ sound design is initially a little imbalanced but settles. The use of effects in high stakes moments is slick and impactful. Lu Herbert’s costumes feature slick transitions between present day and 1936, and similarities between the three families reinforce the sense they’re not so different after all.
The ensemble cast is superb. Isaac Gryn is outstanding as Sammy, oozing raw emotion and irresistible charisma, with commanding vocals and assured movement. Barney Wilkinson charts Ron’s radicalisation with striking authenticity and a stunning belt. Preeya Kalidas’ Edie and Elizabeth steal the show, pairing rich, soaring vocals with gritty, raw emotion. Jez Unwin shapeshifts effortlessly between multiple characters — sometimes within seconds — delivering ‘No Words’ with richness and emotional heft. Romona Lewis Malley gives Rosa’s supporting role real dimension and sings with impeccable precision.
‘Cable Street’ tells an important story with a compelling core and an impressive cast. However, several elements need refining for the production to land with the weight it deserves.
CABLE STREET
Marylebone Theatre
Reviewed on 26th January 2026
by Hannah Bothelton
Photography by Johan Persson
