★★★★

“the cast cycle through characters with impressive dynamism”

The memes are everywhere, making casual jokes about historical figures whose same-sex relationships were definitely just that of “close friends”. We’ve long known that recordings of myth and legend do not favour the LGBTQIA+ — even when we are represented, we’re often given stories of tragedy and pain, with unfavourable endings. Remythed, conceived and written by Joel Samuels and Roann Hassani McCloskey, of Bet’n Lev Theatre, seeks to balance those scales.

We’re welcomed into the space as three of the five cast members casually greet audience from the stage, beckoning them in, like hosts at a party. This invitation into the room isn’t one that we often see in live theatre and it certainly sets the tone for the entire show. Our introduction to the evening is one that evokes an intimate get-together, rather than a play — the final two cast members are actually seated amongst the audience and brought on with a bit of silliness. It sets us up for an evening where the cast will frequently sit amongst us, laugh with us, make us feel like we’re truly in this with them.

The cast then carry us through a series of ancient myths, beginning with that of Scheherezade, the storyteller of One Thousand and One Nights. Scheherezade spins her tales for an angry king, hoping to appease his wrath. Throughout the series of stories, the cast cycle through characters with impressive dynamism, able to slip from one character into another with ease. It’s shockingly easy to follow, given the breadth of the material, which only speaks further volumes of both the writing and the performances.

Remythed is staged incredibly simply. It’s easy to see why it tours so well — with virtually no set to speak of and no costume changes throughout, it does quite a lot with very little. The lighting design by Al Simpson shifts us through the various locations in a simple, but effective manner. Equally, the sound design by Annie May Fletcher adds that extra little flare of magic in all the places where it’s needed. One particular sequence, in which we hear a reimagining of the story of Lilith, Adam’s first wife, benefits hugely from a bit of sound wizardry. The entire cast are exceptional, but Lucy Roslyn in particular shines throughout, playing through so many different roles with such efficiency and heart that it’s almost dizzying.

Ultimately, Remythed is like a cup of tea and a warm blanket on a cold winter’s evening. It hugs you, invites you to feel some joy, gives you permission to be whoever it is you want to be. And couldn’t we all use a bit more of that right now?

FEVER PITCH at The Hope Theatre

★★★★

“With Martha Godfrey’s lighting and Kristina Kapilin’s sound design, we are always in the moment of this thrilling production”

It’s practically thirty years now since Nick Hornby’s career defining book, “Fever Pitch”, was first published. I didn’t get around to reading it myself until later, already familiar with Hornby’s style from, among others, ‘High Fidelity’ which charted the failed relationships of a neurotic record collector. I could relate to that. Football, though, was a different beast entirely. My wilful ignorance of the ‘beautiful game’ was always a factor that pushed the book down my reading list. It was an unfounded prejudice. “Fever Pitch” is about football, but at the same time it isn’t. Yes, it’s a memoir about Hornby’s two decades as a football moron (his words!) but moreover it is an ode to obsession, depression, and the human condition; and whatever walk of life we are ambling along there is something we can all identify with. Although football is the main story, it is also just the backdrop to a life story.

Joel Samuels’ adaptation skilfully condenses the book into just under ninety minutes, without going into extra time. It is a lot to fit in, but Kennedy Bloomer directs from the touch lines with an economy of style that faithfully covers most of the ground, while certainly putting her team through the paces. Jack Trueman is the undoubted captain here, as narrator Nick. With a convivial charisma he also captures the geeky monomania, aware of but powerless against the effects his obsession has on his life. “I fell in love with football as I was later to fall in love with women: suddenly, inexplicably, uncritically, giving no thought to the pain or disruption it would bring with it”. Trueman has a lot of words to deal with, but he rarely drops the ball. If he does, he gives a cheeky wink to the audience and ploughs on. The multi rolling cast move around him, switching characters in the blink of an eye, substituting mothers for daughters for girlfriends for fathers for brothers for teammates for commentators for friends for fans for hooligans… You get the drift. Ashley Gerlach, Louise Hoare, and Gabrielle MacPherson are equally marvellous in their versatility, digging deep into their treasure chest of accents, characters and emotional kaleidoscope. There are some hilarious moments of gender-blind role playing, particularly Gerlach’s brilliant female impersonations.

The rapid-fire delivery is spot on for the stage, but what is perhaps inevitable is that sometimes the finer nuances of Hornby’s writing are forfeited. There are some unforgettable moments in the book, particularly when Hornby describes the tragedies of Heysel and Hillsborough, that lose their poignancy in this retelling. However, for these aspects to be fully explored and given the respect they warrant, it would probably require a whole other show of their own. Similarly, there is a lot of talk about ‘filling a hole’ to explain away the mind-set of the obsessive and depressive personality. But again, this is another show, and Samuels has made the right editorial choices. His eye is on the entertainment value, and he certainly scores on that level. This production captures too the self-deprecation inherent in Hornby’s original. When Trueman bemoans that being white, middle class and suburban is the worst category to fit into, we laugh but are aware of where our sympathies should lie. The attacks on sexism and racism are made more pertinent using comedy as its podium.

With Martha Godfrey’s lighting and Kristina Kapilin’s sound design, we are always in the moment of this thrilling production. It is often panoramic in the way it shows us how much times have changed over the past decades, but it also hones in on home truths in an intimate and quite loopy way. It is meditative one minute and raucous the next. You can reflect and cheer at the same time – which makes this production quite unique. Whether you love or hate football, there’s much to love in this production of “Fever Pitch”.

REMYTHED

King’s Head Theatre

★★★★

“the cast cycle through characters with impressive dynamism”

REMYTHED

King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed on 9th May 2025

by Stacey Cullen

Photography by Ali Wright

Previously reviewed at this venue:

REMYTHED

REMYTHED

REMYTHED

FEVER PITCH at The Hope Theatre

★★★★

“With Martha Godfrey’s lighting and Kristina Kapilin’s sound design, we are always in the moment of this thrilling production”

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Reviewed – 2nd September 2021

Photography by Ali Wright

Fever Pitch

Hope Theatre until 25th September

Jonathan’s reviews this year: