DERRIÈRE ON A G STRING

King’s Head Theatre

★★★★★

“overflowing with heart, sincerity, joy, imagination, and unapologetic silliness”

Derrière on a G String welcomes you to a fairytale-like stage, with set design by Emily Bestow immediately making us feel as though we are about to witness a beautiful tale unfold. Except this tale is bonkers, inventive, clever, and bursting with laughter and heart – a brilliant piece of physical theatre. From the very first moment, it has the audience laughing to tears, captivating everyone with the performers’ infectious energy and wonderfully expressive performances. The humour often feels reminiscent of silent cinema and classic sketch comedy, while still feeling entirely fresh and original.

Directed and choreographed by Alfred Taylor-Gaunt, the way moments are communicated is pure genius. The show transforms everyday experiences into exaggerated theatrical vignettes that anyone can relate to, delivered with incredible energy and imagination. The idea that humans become objects – an alarm clock, for instance – while ordinary actions, such as showering with a plant-watering bottle, are reimagined in hilariously inventive ways brings a child-like sense of creativity vividly to life. It reminds us that theatre and imagination are limitless if we allow them to be. The possibilities are endless, something we too often forget as we grow older. What makes the production particularly special is how accessible it makes dance and physical theatre feel, inviting even audiences unfamiliar with the form into its wonderfully absurd world.

The production uses classical music as its score, with arrangements by Luke Bateman that are both hilarious and respectful of the technical beauty of the music itself. Running throughout the show is the recurring motif of the G-strings, cleverly woven into the comedy. The costumes, designed by Reuben Speed, are equally wonderful, enhancing the fairytale-like atmosphere while seamlessly supporting the constant transformations taking place on stage. The show also embraces a gloriously camp and queer energy without ever losing its emotional sincerity.

The performances are exceptional throughout, with expressions and physicality that keep the audience enthralled from start to finish. Every cast member deserves recognition. Sammy Moore as Flop is utterly charming, with extraordinary lip-syncing skills and brilliant audience interaction. Cam Tweed as Drip offers a fresh interpretation of Swan Lake and shines particularly in scenes alongside Grunt, played by Ryan Upton, where the pair hilariously dismantle traditional masculinity while showering the stage with rainbows and love. Upton’s performance throughout is equally memorable, providing countless standout moments. Alice O’Brien’s Slosh is endlessly charming, and audiences will undoubtedly remember the warmth she radiates whenever she connects directly with them. Courtney Cyrus as Twitch delivers deliciously edgy and twisted dreamlike sequences, while Ena Yamaguchi brings equal charm and versatility to every character she portrays. All six performers are exceptional dancers who give everything to the production. What is perhaps most impressive is the company’s razor-sharp ensemble timing, with every movement and reaction landing with astonishing precision. Even when some sketches land more strongly than others, the infectious commitment of the cast ensures the energy never drops, with the fast-paced transitions and constant transformations keeping the audience fully immersed throughout.

The show uses almost no spoken language, relying instead on mumbling, movement, and expression – a choice that feels both beautiful and inventive. It demonstrates how emotions and meaning can be communicated powerfully with minimal words. It is also clear that the cast and creative team share a deep connection, something essential in making a production like this feel so alive and cohesive.

Derrière on a G String is an absolute must-see: a show overflowing with heart, sincerity, joy, imagination, and unapologetic silliness that will stay with you long after you leave the theatre. Created by the wonderfully inventive company Somebody Smith and Moore, it is a reminder of just how limitless theatre can be when it fully embraces play, absurdity, and human connection.

DERRIÈRE ON A G STRING

King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed on 12th May 2026

by Nasia Ntalla

Photography by Charlie Flint

DERRIÈRE ON A G STRING

★★★

“a thoughtful and heartfelt piece”

Tim Graves’ Walking Each Other Home opens by inviting us into a set that immediately establishes the emotional terrain of the play: a modest family living room designed by Jason Marc-Williams and Noah Cousins. Beside the sofa sits a cluster of cards featuring family members, a simple but effective visual device that hints at memory, loss and fractured relationships before a word is spoken.

We first meet Frank Maloney, played by Christopher Poke, an elderly man living with early-stage dementia. Poke gives Frank a layered and deeply sympathetic presence. At times bewildered, at times lucid, Frank drifts between confusion and clarity, uncertain of the day, the moment, or even who is standing in front of him.

Into this uneasy domestic space arrives Frank’s son Michael, played by Edward Fisher, returning from Peru with a backpack and years of unresolved pain. From the outset, we understand that Frank often believes Michael is dead, a heartbreaking symptom of his condition. Their reunion is therefore not one of warmth but of collision: old wounds resurface immediately, and bitterness between father and son dominates the room. Michael’s sexuality, and Frank’s historic discomfort with it, becomes one of the central fault lines of the drama.

What emerges between them is not only estrangement but an ongoing contest. Father and son seem locked in a competitive game for emotional ground: who has been more wronged, who deserves understanding, who can wound the other first.

Graves begins the play at a high emotional pitch, with anger and trauma already fully ignited. While this gives the opening urgency, it also leaves limited room for the tension to build further. Much of the play therefore sustains the same heightened emotional register rather than developing through shifts in rhythm or surprise.

The production finds welcome contrast in Sandeep Singh, Frank’s live-in carer, played with warmth and precision by Amrik Tumber. Sandeep provides much-needed lightness through dry humour, wit and emotional intelligence, and many of the play’s jokes land sharply and effectively. Sandeep also acts as a mirror to Michael. Where Michael has travelled across the world searching for peace and belonging, unable to find acceptance at home, Sandeep embodies a quieter certainty rooted in family, responsibility and inner balance. Their contrast is one of the play’s most interesting dynamics.

Frank frequently speaks of “visitors” and seeing other people in the room. Whether these figures are hallucinations, memories or something more spiritual is left intriguingly open. Combined with Michael’s interest in Amazonian shamanism and Sandeep’s Sikh faith, these moments give the play an ambitious metaphysical dimension.

There are scenes of real beauty here. Poke is especially moving when Frank confronts his own reflection and no longer recognises himself. Tumber also shines in moments of blunt honesty and tenderness. Fisher captures Michael’s pain convincingly, though the character can feel more symbolic than fully grounded.

Marc-Williams’ direction handles the emotional themes with sincerity, and the play’s core concerns are compelling: intergenerational trauma, forgiveness, queer identity and the need for support systems beyond blood ties. At times, however, the script leans too heavily into repetition, restating motivations rather than trusting the audience to infer them. Some monologues embrace a heightened poetic theatricality that can occasionally feel at odds with the play’s grounded emotional realism.

Even so, Walking Each Other Home remains a thoughtful and heartfelt piece – one about reconciliation, memory and the difficult but necessary work of learning how to forgive. For all their flaws and pain, each of its characters is ultimately reaching toward hope.

Tag Archives: NASIA NTALLA

DERRIÈRE ON A G STRING

★★★★★

King’s Head Theatre

DERRIÈRE ON A G STRING

King’s Head Theatre

★★★★★

“overflowing with heart, sincerity, joy, imagination, and unapologetic silliness”