MAYBE I SHOULD STOP
Drayton Arms Theatre
★★★★
“striking, resonant, and beautifully performed”
The production welcomes us with an empty chair reminiscent of the Tube, newspapers on it, and white sheets hanging from the ceiling – a subtly evocative set designed by Emily King. A familiar playlist – indie rock blended with a touch of disco – drifts through the space. It’s the soundtrack of a year, of a life; instantly recognisable. A sense of familiarity settles over the room.
Written and performed by Oscar Brudenall-Jones, this one-man show invites us into the landscape of grief, guiding us through its seven stages as we accompany Aaron, our protagonist, on his train journey.
Aaron has stolen his father’s ashes, tucked into a Celebrations box, and is determined to take them to Cornwall, to scatter them in the sea at a place filled with their shared memories. Aaron is an entertainer by trade and by temperament: a vibrant presence brought to life through Brudenall-Jones’s quickfire impressions of both famous and obscure figures. This performer’s persona becomes a kind of refuge for Aaron, a protective shell he slips into whenever the emotional terrain becomes difficult to face. The narrative unfolds entirely on trains bound for Cornwall, a quietly powerful symbol of movement and transition. As Aaron travels, the stages of grief emerge through memories, re-enactments, and unexpected events along the way.
Under Esalan Gates’ direction, the piece employs a variety of theatrical techniques to enrich the storytelling. The hanging sheets are used inventively: at moments they become characters, at others a landscape, or even a silhouette through which new personas emerge. It’s an engaging, imaginative design choice that helps sustain energy and focus in a demanding solo performance. Lighting by Conor Costelloe, smoothly shifts from bright to shadowy, sometimes mirroring Aaron’s internal state, other times illuminating the turbulence he tries to contain.
Brudenall-Jones does a remarkable job maintaining pace and drawing us into Aaron’s imaginative world. At first, there is a stark distinction between his outward showmanship – his armour – and the tender, vulnerable self beneath it. As the journey progresses, these two selves begin to converge; the emotions he has been avoiding swell and can no longer be concealed.
At times the emotional beats are delivered quite explicitly, and in the early moments especially, a touch more space for audience interpretation might have heightened the impact.
The message of the piece lands with clarity, expressed through a rich mix of anecdotes, impersonations, and heartfelt storytelling that reveal the complexity of his character. Still, I found myself wanting to know more about Aaron’s father. Although the emotional arc is strongly communicated, the texture of their relationship, and the ways his father shaped him, felt only lightly sketched. The focus leans heavily into Aaron’s personality, sometimes spreading itself across so many stories and jokes that the central emotional thread risks thinning.
Where the show truly shines is in its moments of raw vulnerability, which are striking, resonant, and beautifully performed. The references to society, the modern world, and Covid-19 are thoughtful and well-woven, revealing a writer-performer with much to say and real talent in saying it. With a touch more simplicity in places, particularly in balancing the humour with the heart of the father-son bond, the piece might achieve an even deeper emotional coherence.
Even so, Maybe I Should Stop is a compelling, inventive exploration of grief, memory, and the winding routes we take to say goodbye.
MAYBE I SHOULD STOP
Drayton Arms Theatre
Reviewed on 20th November 2025
by Nasia Ntalla
Photography by Henry Roberts
Previously reviewed at this venue:
FELIXXX | ★★★★ | October 2025
FRESH KNICKERS (AND A GIN AND TONIC) | ★★ | October 2025
ROSENCRANTZ & GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD | ★★★ | June 2025
DICK | ★★★ | April 2025
SARAH QUAND MÊME | ★ | February 2024
