★★★★

“Cookson’s inventive style of directing is – as ever – capturing, stimulating and entertaining”

Wonder Boy by Ross Willis, and directed by Sally Cookson, follows Sonny (Hilson Agbangbe) as he comes to terms with the cause of his stammer; and tries to overcome it. Sonny has a passion for art and creates a comic character Captain Chatter (Ciaran O’Breen) who joins him as he moves to a new foster carer as well as a new school. He is befriended by the hilarious Roshi (Naia Elliott-Spence) and guided by the initially guarded Wainwright (Eva Scott). Wainwright has her own obstacles as she comes up against the new, heartless headmistress Fish (Jessica Murrain) who attempts to change the school for the worst.

Ross Willis has written an incredibly accessible and important story, while Cookson’s inventive style of directing is – as ever – capturing, stimulating and entertaining. The piece shied away from lazy stereotypes while staying current with a clear finger on the pulse of what is relevant for younger audiences.

The stage was bordered with an electric blue, neon light that sizzled on the perimeter of the action. Katie Sykes (set designer) struck a fantastic balance of producing a spacious, de-cluttered stage while chromatically supporting scenes with a variety of levels, thus subtly highlighting areas of the stage for scenes to take place. There was a wonderful interactive backdrop that drew the dialogue of the scenes using the speaking character’s handwriting. This, combined with the sign language that Captain Chatter used, accelerated the inclusivity of the piece and broadened the show’s audience reach while still being able to be clear on the heart and story of the play.

The lighting (Aideen Malone) and sound (Jonathan Everett) were phenomenal, with both mediums truly engaging and gripping the audience. This was particularly apparent in the dream-like states of Sonny’s imagination, where dialogue became echoed and ambient sounds ever-immersive. The overall tightness of Wonder Boy was mesmerising; with tiny minute detail being executed by all of the cast with precision and accuracy.

Agbangbe’s rendition of Sonny was impressively well-found and demonstrated how watchable and gifted he is as an actor. He really showed us how much Sonny’s mother meant to him and how anger is Sonny’s go-to emotion. His accomplice Captain Chatter, seamlessly blended sign language with mime, the exactitude of his movements was awe-inspiring. Roshi, provided brilliant moments of comedy, while having a touching character arc. The eccentric, farce-like Fish brought a comedic level, too, while Murrain’s interpretation of Mum helped to bring Sonny’s emotions out. Scott’s Wainwright superbly presented the deep humanity of teachers. You could feel that audience really resonated with her as a character.

The production values of Wonder Boy – from writing to acting quality to direction, lighting and sound – were magnificently high. It’s an important, unpatronising and downright entertaining coming-of-age story that works wonders at grasping its target audience as well as branching out to wider groups.

ABIGAIL’S PARTY at the Theatre Royal Stratford East

★★★★

“the golden Outhwaite’s masterclass in subtle bitchery is unforgettable”

Mike Leigh’s 1977 biting social satire about a suburban drinks party which becomes horribly dark is a hugely popular modern classic, as witnessed by the man in the seat next to me reciting the play along with the cast. Apart from Leigh’s brilliant writing, another major reason for the popularity of Abigail’s Party was the iconic performance of Alison Steadman as Beverley, the party’s monstrous hostess, in the original production adapted for the BBC.

However, in Nadia Fall’s production, a mesmerising Tamzin Outhwaite makes Beverley her own. From the moment the curtain rises to Donna Summer’s Love to Love You Baby revealing Outhwaite on top of a glass-topped coffee table, dressed in a glittering, golden yellow kaftan and blue platform heels and strutting her stuff underneath disco lights, it’s clear that this is one hot hostess who is not afraid to use her sexual allure to manipulate.

Beverley is hosting drinks and nibbles for her new neighbours, gauche young nurse Angela (Ashna Rabheru) and her monosyllabic computer operator husband Tony (Omar Malik), plus stoic and sensible divorced Sue (Pandora Colin), whose daughter Abigail is having a teenage party at their home. Lawrence (Kevin Bishop), Beverley’s husband, pops in and out, being more devoted to his estate agent job at Wibley Webb than to his marriage. Given Beverley’s sneering, dismissive attitude towards him, you can’t blame him.

The initial party small-talk is excruciatingly embarrassing but hilarious; one new big laugh in the current production certainly wouldn’t have raised a smile in 1977 – Angela’s comment that they bought their house for £21,000. Beverley, naturally, is very keen to point out that it’s much smaller than her own abode, but this is far from where the sneering stops.

Beverley dishes out cigarettes from an onyx box, and drink after drink from a well-stocked cocktail cabinet, to her guests with almost the same gusto as she dishes out her barbed comments. She tells Angela that she’s wearing the wrong shade of lipstick; comments on Sue’s marital status, and constantly snipes at Lawrence. And as if that alone doesn’t make her soiree embarrassing, she is keen to impose her musical tastes on her guests – Demis Roussos and Elvis Presley.

It’s clear that Beverley has the hots for handsome ex-footballer Tony, and the drunker she gets, the more she pouts and flirts with him. Lawrence is clearly weary of this behaviour, and indeed anything she does, and Kevin Bishop portrays his pent-up rage perfectly, with subtle facial tics and a tension in his body that means he could go off at any moment. Abigail’s Party is certainly a comedy, but one which contains an incredible amount of tension which makes the audience gasp.

Peter McKintosh’s groovy set, with flowery graphic wallpaper, leather sofa and massive console unit containing the cocktail cabinet, record player and a fibre lamp which mesmerises Beverley, perfectly sums up the era’s taste. My one quibble was that the kitchen units were more noughties than Seventies, shiny and white with silver handles; they should have been as uniformly brown as the rest of the set.

The kitchen was the only wrong note in this excellent production, however. The ensemble are terrific, and the golden Outhwaite’s masterclass in subtle bitchery is unforgettable.

Tag Archives: Theatre Royal Stratford East

WONDER BOY

★★★★

UK Tour

WONDER BOY at the Theatre Royal Stratford East

★★★★

“Cookson’s inventive style of directing is – as ever – capturing, stimulating and entertaining”

WONDER BOY at the Theatre Royal Stratford East then UK Tour continues

Reviewed on 15th October 2024

by Curtis Dean

Photography by Steve Tanner

Previously reviewed at this venue:

ABIGAIL’S PARTY | ★★★★ | September 2024

NOW, I SEE | ★★★★ | May 2024

CHEEKY LITTLE BROWN | ★★★½ | April 2024

THE BIG LIFE | ★★★★★ | February 2024

BEAUTIFUL THING | ★★★★★ | September 2023

WONDER BOY

WONDER BOY

Click here to see our Recommended Shows page

ABIGAIL’S PARTY

★★★★

Theatre Royal Stratford East

ABIGAIL’S PARTY at the Theatre Royal Stratford East

★★★★

“the golden Outhwaite’s masterclass in subtle bitchery is unforgettable”