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

MAYBE I SHOULD STOP

★★★½

“Power’s writing is ambitious and lyrical”

In Death Belles, four women open the door to their most harrowing memories – and what steps through is grief, guilt, and a lingering sense of menace. Over 60 minutes, writer Annie Power and director Penny Gkritzapi weave a quartet of dark tales that transform the Old Red Lion’s intimate, minimal stage (set design Constance Comparot) – scattered with rose petals – into a confessional of pain and consequence. Each story explores how trauma can twist the human spirit. The writing asks not only what suffering does to us, but what we might do in return. “How far can a person go when they’ve already been broken?” seems to echo through the piece.

We begin with Poppy (Niamh O’Donnell), who relives the catastrophic Storm Bella and the loss of her parents. Her monologue is vivid and unflinching, filled with contrasting images of the beauty of the Highlands turned graveyard. Beneath the tragedy, it brushes against questions of climate anxiety and the loneliness of survival.

Detective Rose (Harriet Main) follows, trapped in memories of brutal child murders that have left her morally unmoored. The images bleed into her own experience, equally haunting. A missing heart from a murder becomes a metaphor for the missing empathy of a society that fails its children. Her performance, at once precise and unnerving, captures how innocence and evil can share the same face. It’s a chilling portrait of a woman weighed down not only by the horrors her profession demands she witness, but also by the personal guilt that haunts her own past.

Lily (George Bird) brings a welcome change of pace. A football-mad sixteen-year-old with ADHD, she wins over the audience with her humour and restless charm before her story takes a devastating turn. The shift from laughter to disbelief is masterfully handled, and her performance gives the production its most affecting emotional depth.

Finally comes Bella (Finella Waddilove), a mother still searching for her vanished child. Her grief infects the whole village, revealing prejudice and fear simmering beneath polite surfaces. Told with audience engagement, her story resembles a murder-mystery dinner you never expected to be invited to – unsettling, intimate, and quietly accusatory.

The show thrives on atmosphere – the interplay of light and shadow builds visual narratives that deepen the piece, while the rhythm of its language and the physical immediacy of its performers draw the audience directly into the story. Yet the emotional intensity can become relentless. Without moments of reprieve, the production risks overwhelming the audience rather than drawing them deeper in. Lily’s story succeeds precisely because it balances darkness with humanity.

Power’s writing is ambitious and lyrical, and Gkritzapi’s direction embraces its intimacy. The ensemble delivers committed performances that feel raw and lived-in. Still, the evening would benefit from more variation in tone – a chance for the audience to breathe between the storms.

Death Belles is not an easy watch, nor does it intend to be. It’s a meditation on loss, memory, and the quiet violence of carrying what cannot be forgotten. It doesn’t just tell four stories of pain; it reminds us that confession itself can be an act of survival. A demanding but compelling night of theatre that leaves you both unsettled and impressed – even if you occasionally wish it let a little more light in.

Tag Archives: NASIA NTALLA

MAYBE I SHOULD STOP

★★★★

Drayton Arms Theatre

MAYBE I SHOULD STOP

Drayton Arms Theatre

★★★★

“striking, resonant, and beautifully performed”