The lights fail, but Mark Thomas does not.
He shines.
Performed in characteristically physical style by larger-than-life Cockney, Mark Thomas in this intimate, in the round tent setting, he gets in the mud with us, he lays out Ed Edwards words for us, and we hear them.
From humorous tales of his dad’s waste metal business and his dark previous life in the British army colonising the former Malaya, we get a rich understanding of the legalised violence passed down from returning soldiers to their families, and the debilitating effect on abused partners and damaged children.
At turns veering from funny to ferocious, Thomas lays out the inevitable path of his childhood, from dysfunctional home life to youth detention centre, courtesy of Home Secretary, Willie Whitelaw’s controversial “short sharp shock” policy under Margret Thatcher.
Where the Edwards and Thomas team works brilliantly is in building a portrait of a young boy full of possibilities and potential but ultimately let down by the state and becoming part of the problem, not the solution.
Violence begets violence.
Very humorous and deeply moving. Don’t miss this!
Running time – 1 Hr
Reviewer: Greg Holstead
Reviewed: 6th August 2023
North West End UK Rating:
With the recent death of Stephen Sondheim musical theatre has been robbed of its most…
This rather clumsily titled play is the “rabbit hole” to a rather fascinating 75 minutes…
The applause started immediately after curtain up on Tuesday night when The Ballad of Johnny…
From its early days starting at the Edinburgh fringe festival, this show has grown from…
Shakespeare North Playhouse opens its doors for a community heritage celebration FREE Open Day with…
Haunted houses aren’t just the decaying, cobwebbed old mansions we’ve seen in popular culture for…