★★★★

“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?

SAPPHO at Southwark Playhouse Elephant

★★

“Wendy Beckett’s script is uncertain and seems not to trust itself.”

Georgie Fellows shines as Sappho in an otherwise uncertain muddle of a play.

The story is set in an alternative history, circa 600 BC. It follows the imagined life of Sappho, the Ancient Greek poet, whose real life we know little about. In this play Sappho is engaged to be married, a marriage of convenience to further her parents’ political ambitions. However she is in love with a woman, not the man she is marrying.

While the premise seems simple enough, it is complicated by convoluted sub-plots about her parents’ politics. They want to spread democracy across the land. Since it’s neither historically accurate, nor particularly clear in the play, this becomes a political drama with no context. The broad strokes commentary against the elite falls flat.

This points to the bigger issue with this play, which is that it doesn’t know what it is. The tone is a mishmash of campy asides and panto acting, with boppy dance numbers and earnest calls to arms. Every chance at emotional depth is undermined by jokey asides, but it’s not quite funny enough to make that worth it.

Wendy Beckett’s script is uncertain and seems not to trust itself. The simple love story at the heart of this play, is nice, and it would’ve been stronger had it stripped back the tangled layers around it.

Wendy Beckett co-directs with Adam Fitzgerald and again this uncertainty comes through. Every performer seems to be in a different play and every scene is a different tone. There is a Greek chorus, which at times are used for beautiful discordant singing and moments of dance (well-choreographed by Fotis Diamantopoulos) but in many scenes confuse and crowd the stage.

The performances are broadly strong, if uneven tonally. Emmanuel Akwafo is a strong comic narrator, though sometimes his asides become a little repetitive. However the show stealer is Georgie Fellows as Sappho, who manages to ride the tonal rollercoaster of this play, and carries its emotional heart, such as it is.

Adam King’s lighting stands out in a moment where the stage in bathed in rainbow light, in what should’ve been a moving commentary about Sappho’s legacy. Halcyon Pratt’s set is simple and versatile, if not particularly memorable.

Mehdi Bourayou’s sound design and score provide boppy pop style numbers and more traditional Greek chorus songs, many of which are really fun. It would’ve been great to have more music in this, as it might have hung it together more fluidly.

Sappho’s importance not only as a poet but as a queer poet is unquestionable, and her poetry speaks through the ages. This play hasn’t quite decided how to tell her story – should it be a campy and fun musical or a hard-hitting political drama. By not making that decision, the play is neither satisfying as a comedy nor a political biopic.

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

SAPPHO at Southwark Playhouse Elephant

★★

“Wendy Beckett’s script is uncertain and seems not to trust itself.”

SAPPHO at Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Reviewed on 8th May 2024

by Auriol Reddaway

Photography by Mark Senior

Previously reviewed at Southwark Playhouse venues

Sappho

Sappho

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