Sheffield University Theatre Company (SUTCo)’s exciting new season is in full swing, and taking to the stage this October is ‘Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean’ – a stage and screen classic from late writer Ed Graczyk and acclaimed director Robert Altman.
The play jumps between 1955 and 1975 in a small Texan town, and the SUTCo cast split the roles between actors across the 20 year gap. 1955’s Mona, played by Bethany Collins, captures really well the fanciful, naive dreamer-like qualities of youth which is fantastically subverted in 1975’s Mona, played by Lilia Harnett who presents an edgier, more unstable and neurotic maturing of such innocent delusion. Imogen Eyre’s Juanita is strong and a great anchor in this production, and Max Preston’s Stella and Tilly Harradine’s Edna bring a delightful comedic qualities to the work whilst retaining truth and depth, presenting people not just caricatures of fan club fanatics and schoolgirl friendship. Dylan Smith’s Joe is aptly balanced between the tense and relaxed dispositions his character floats between on their journey, tipped off nicely by Molly Mason’s Joanna who manages to translate years of secrecy and rejection well in their beautifully realised but hurt becoming. Both versions of Sissy, played by Holly Pearce and Wrenna Clarke have a magnetic charm to them, full of bravado and self-adulation whilst equally carrying the insecure scorn that makes Sissy who she is.
The entire cast offer very focussed and committed performances. It’s a very nicely balanced group of performers. Their vocal work is impressive, with thorough Texan dialects throughout this lengthy, wordy work, although sometimes there is a little to be desired in the physical storytelling of the characters, where body language sometimes felt a bit languished and unconsidered. The choice of text is interesting in its 2026 context. I began thinking this was a tale about parasocial celebrity obsessions, drawing parallels from modern stan culture, then observed the potent observations on womanhood and friendships with a coming-of-age slant and then there is a revelatory trans narrative that emerges. These are all great themes to re-explore in the 2020’s, decades after its stage debut. The fact is there is even more to this tale, and whilst that ought to entice, it unfortunately appears to spread itself too thin. Ed Graczyk’s script has solid dialogue, playful humour and ambitious soul-searching embedded within, but its plot and story qualities leave a little to be desired. What we are presented is a meandering, messy and cluttered narrative that begins to eat itself the more it tries to unfold. It becomes unfocused and frazzled within its bickersome sensibility, making what is at times a really fun watch a laborious and one-dimensional one. It is a story about all of these things mentioned, but it doesn’t quite do any of them justice for lack of time spent with the complicated facets of the subjects they endeavour to look at, with perhaps the exception of the womanhood narrative which does feel well explored and generous to its audience.
Directing this text is a challenge as such. Carly McCollin and Luke Hookham do a pretty admirable job, utilising smart lighting (Emily Downson, Alex Mackie) and sound (Mason Lugh, Molly Mackrory) design to transport us to different eras and lead us through dreams and visions. There is also a good understanding of conflict, jeopardy and an excellent understanding of character. This work is really character driven and it’s great to see a young company bring to life such rich personalities so effectively. That said, the script does not help the directing duo in pacing the drama. As the text bends round new corners, so does the live show, and it makes sections of the production less interesting and forcibly indulgent in its conflict that does not appear to mature or expand. Arguments that have a sharpness grow dull and characters who seemed to be on interesting journeys grow duller as the teased development of plot and character seem to spiral within themselves, leading nowhere, or in many cases back to where we began. The trappings of time is a key theme in this text, but it doesn’t reward its audiences when they neither can escape its clutches.
That said, although this show might not blow you off your seats, it certainly won’t leave you cold. Even if the vehicle and its engine sputters into a crawl at times, it can be argued it does so because it was roaring down the road beforehand. There are enough great performances and theatrical flourishes in this production to make it an enjoyable watch.
Reviewer: Nathan Dunn
Reviewed: 28th October 2026
North West End UK Rating: