★★★

“an ambitious piece with a killer concept”

A tiled backdrop and a stainless steel table set the mortuary scene, the lone hammer hinting at the menace to come. The Grim promises to blend impish slapstick comedy with clinical chill — horror and humour, light and dark, gangsters and sweeties — but while it sets plenty in motion, it never fully commits to what’s lurking in the dark.

Set in a 1960s East End mortuary, the play follows proprietor Shaun (Edmund Morris, who also wrote the script) and his assistant Robert (Louis Davison) as they await the arrival of notorious gangster and serial killer Jackie Gallagher (Harry Carter), recently gunned down. As they wait, strange things begin to stir, and the pair soon find themselves at the centre of their own ghost story.

What follows is truly a play of two halves. Morris’ script fires out gags and slapstick at an impressive rate, though the sheer volume sometimes leaves you wanting more texture. Their double act — pairing Shaun’s cynicism with Robert’s belief in religion and the occult — makes for an intriguing dynamic, and there are moments that hint at their respective histories. These glimpses, however, are never fully explored, quickly sidelined for another volley of barbs between the bickering pair.

Ben Woodhall’s direction keeps the energy buoyant, though a few moments feel hurried when they might have benefitted from being held — especially given the play’s flirtation with horror. His pacing leans toward the comic, but this often undercuts the tension the production seems keen to build.

The result is a comedy-heavy first act that rarely pauses long enough to let tension breathe, so the horror beats that do appear arrive abruptly, without the slow creep that might have given them more power. Lighting by Joe Hawkings and sound by Fergus Carver do their best to conjure unease, sharpening sudden shocks and adding atmosphere to Hiba Medina’s well-designed set, but while the potential for dread is there, it never quite settles over the room.

Then an interval comes with surprising abruptness, halting the momentum just as the play begins to shift gear. It’s with the arrival of Jackie Gallagher that the production truly stirs to life — quite literally. The jokes are pared back ever so slightly and better balanced by the new threat onstage. Carter is excellent: his physicality dominates the small space, prowling with a palpable sense of danger while still gesturing toward unexpected emotional depth. It’s a stand-out performance that hints of a richer, stranger play struggling to get out.

Elsewhere, certain character choices feel loosely justified, functioning more as devices to move the plot than as organic developments. The final stretch lands quickly and somewhat bluntly, leaving questions about what the piece ultimately wants to say or how its supernatural thread is meant to sit alongside its crime-comedy roots.

Ultimately, The Grim is an ambitious piece with a killer concept that doesn’t always deliver on its promise. Morris’ script shows signs of a fine writer — there are sharp lines and spirited performances throughout — but light without shadow can be one-note, and for too long the production never quite embraces the darkness it keeps hinting at. The result is fairly enjoyable, often funny, but a few shades short of the chilling comedy it seems to be reaching for. Those looking for jokes more than jolts may find enough to enjoy, but the shadows never fully gather to make this a ghost story you’ll want to return to.

RIDE THE CYCLONE

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

★★★★

“You come away feeling slightly giddy, but feeling good”

With the proliferation of new musicals roller coasting into theatreland, you’d think it hard to find an original subject to base one around. Currently, there seem to be two ways to go; either you can dredge up an old, safe favourite or else take the quirky route and think outside the box. Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell are obviously advocates of the latter. Six teenagers who die in a freak accident on a fairground ride is an unlikely starting point. A hard sell perhaps? “Ride the Cyclone” first appeared on the Canadian fringe in 2009, before heading Off-Broadway, via Chicago, a few years later. It has taken nearly ten years for it to cross the pond for its European premiere in London but, like those long, concertina queues we used to find ourselves in for the latest fairground attraction, it has been worth the wait.

The musical begins with a mysterious and headless girl circling the stage, singing a short song, dreaming of life. Cut to the even more mysterious ‘The Amazing Karnak’ (Edward Wu), a mechanical fortune teller, watching from on high. He is able to predict the exact moment and method of a person’s death. Even his own – which is very imminent, despite him already being in the afterlife (we can overlook this minor quibble) preparing himself to introduce the perished teenagers. Karnak has a game for them. Each will be given the chance to tell their story, in song, to win the chance to return to life. What follows is a cycle of song and monologue that occasionally baffles but always delights with its mix of absurdist humour, candid insight, bizarre ideas, emotional honesty and musical virtuosity. Irreverently frivolous one moment, genuinely heartfelt the next. Admittedly it borders on the saccharine at times, but the writers’ sharp knife always cuts through it in time.

Wu’s Karnak holds the fort like a camp and deadpan Greek God. First up is Ocean, played with real zest by Baylie Carson. Satirically self-important, she still manages to get the others’ backs up, especially best friend Constance (Robyn Gilbertson). We have to wait a while for Constance’s song – ‘Jawbreaker/Sugar Cloud’ – during which Gilbertson truly shines, revealing a deeper character than one who lost her virginity ‘just to get it out of the way’. A highlight of the show is ‘Noel’s Lament’, a gorgeous cabaret pastiche performed by Damon Gould with expert dancing and a velvet voice as he dreams of being a French prostitute. The eclectic quality of the musical numbers is demonstrated when Bartek Kraszewski’s Mischa brilliantly launches into a gangsta rap number complete with a flourish of breakdancing, while Grace Galloway’s headless girl lends her gorgeous operatic soprano to ‘The Ballad of Jane Doe’; a stunning waltz number that induces goosebumps. Then there is Ricky, whose dream of becoming an intergalactic saviour of sexy cat women (don’t ask) is brought to life in song; stunningly performed by Jack Maverick.

Director Lizzi Gee amazingly manages to bring cohesion to this disparate and totally bizarre concoction of life stories. Her choreography is meticulous, adapting itself to each and every genre and musical style seamlessly. There are moments when the inter-song monologues outstay their welcome, but the overall ride still remains on the peaks rather than the troughs. Musical Director Ben McQuigg’s five-piece band mixes power with clarity, and embraces the variety of the repertoire with panache. Every cast member has the vocal, movement and acting skills to tackle the material, making this eccentric show appear to be the most natural and obvious idea for a musical imaginable.

It is a thrilling ride, one which has that sense of danger even though you want to laugh out loud, right up to its upbeat finale. You come away feeling slightly giddy, but feeling good. Against all better judgement you find yourself wanting to join the queue again for another go.

THE GRIM

Southwark Playhouse Borough

★★★

“an ambitious piece with a killer concept”

THE GRIM

Southwark Playhouse Borough

Reviewed on 27th November 2025

by Daniel Outis

Photography by Molly Jackson-French

Previously reviewed at Southwark Playhouse venues:

THE GRIM

THE GRIM

THE GRIM

RIDE THE CYCLONE

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

★★★★

“You come away feeling slightly giddy, but feeling good”

RIDE THE CYCLONE

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Reviewed on 19th November 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Danny Kaan

Recently reviewed at Southwark Playhouse venues:

RIDE THE CYCLONE

RIDE THE CYCLONE

RIDE THE CYCLONE

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