NICE!
Rose Theatre Kingston
★★★★★
“Rosen proves that magnificent theatre requires no grand spectacle”
A burst of disco lights and roaring cheers is hardly a traditional literary curtain-raiser. Yet, as Michael Rosen takes the stage for Nice!, the energy crackles with the familiarity of a joyous reunion. The setting is stripped bare—just an armchair, a small table, and a screen—but in Rosen’s hands, this sparse canvas conjures entirely new worlds. He begins with a rolling wave of hellos, sweeping the stalls and upper circles, instantly dismantling the invisible wall between performer and audience.
What follows is a masterclass in pacing, unfolding with conversational grace. Rosen glides seamlessly from self-mockery about the endless “Rose versus Rosen” mix-ups to musings on his favourite foods. He then reveals the mechanics of his craft, demonstrating how the rhythmic pounding of a run translates into poetry in his head. His legendary physicality transforms simple anecdotes into vivid theatre. He even leads the house through a nine-word story exercise, subtly planting seeds of creative writing in hundreds of minds at once.
The brilliance lies in balancing poignant lyricism with uproarious comedy. A collective hush falls during a sublime rhythm poem—moving from a hand feeling the shudder of a train to the deeply moving “hand on your life, feel the rhyme of time.” Yet, in a heartbeat, wistfulness dissolves into the raucous, call-and-response joy of dog rhythms. The theatre rings with laughter as the audience eagerly matches his couplets, unwittingly absorbing poetic structure through sheer delight.
For lifelong fans, the repertoire is a treasure chest. The breakdown of Dad Knows Everything—centred on the immortal baked potato incident—brilliantly isolates that universal childhood epiphany when parents are suddenly proven fallible. Yet, Rosen isn’t frozen in nostalgia. He gleefully leans into his status as a modern internet icon, playfully referencing his viral meme fame and the universally recognised ‘Nice’ grandpa in Chinatown. It proves his charm organically crosses cultural boundaries.
The climax is undoubtedly Chocolate Cake. Here, the marriage of Rosen’s physical comedy and subtle screen animations achieve flawless theatricality. Miming the creaky wooden box and agonising over stray crumbs, he doesn’t just act; he resurrects the precise, guilty psychology of childhood temptation. We follow this with wildly imaginative detours—claiming to be a 3,000-year-old Stone Age survivor, and leading the house in a breathless standoff against a notoriously strict teacher.
When the house lights rise for a Q&A, the space is thick with the raised hands of eager children. Rosen treats every question with respect, cleverly guiding the conversation back to his books.
Billed for “the young to the young at heart,” Nice! proves this with its sprawling demographic. The gentle architect of countless childhoods, Rosen proves that magnificent theatre requires no grand spectacle—just a generous heart, a sharp wit, and a voice making us feel profoundly understood
NICE!
Rose Theatre Kingston then UK Tour continues
Reviewed on 4th May 2026
by Portia Yuran Li
