Holy Fool – Park Theatre

Throughout history, music and art have been used as vehicles to communicate hidden truths by creatives living under tyrannical states. Here, the legendary composer Dmitri ‘Mitya’ Shostakovich is presented as Communist Russia’s Holy Fool; a man who must walk the tightrope between underplaying his talents and concealing his resistance to the state in order to survive the propaganda-led brutality of Lenin and Stalin’s Soviet Union.

In Holy Fool, co-writers Rosalind Adler and Lea Sellers document Mitya’s life from 1936 to 1973, but in trying to navigate the tightrope of life-threatening political resistance through faux compliance, the play occasionally loses its balance. While Adler and Sellers stay faithful to the historical record and portray the sinister world inside the Soviet regime, they overcrowd the piece by “pitting Mitya against challenges and characters we invented.” By introducing these fictional additions, it becomes difficult to discern where the line between factual biopic and heightened drama lies. Of course, biographical works have always employed artistic licence, but with such a precarious setting and a defiant protagonist, the addition of fictional elements feels unnecessary.

Benjamin O’Mahony, as Mitya, is a constant bundle of nervous energy and paranoia who rarely stays still. His slightly oversized suit, by costume designer William Fricker, is a nice touch, reflecting a character who grows in confidence yet remains perpetually ill at ease in his own skin. O’Mahony has room to interpret a legendary figure whose mannerisms we know so little about, but he convincingly takes us from nervous repression to defiant hero. He also skilfully performs snippets of Shostakovich’s symphonies live on the piano, occasionally supported by longer recordings. Audio clips of critical public reactions describe Mitya’s music as inappropriate and unrelatable, vulgar, and sarcastic, very much at odds with the state’s view that music should be rousing and populist. Sadly, these ideas are underexplored; references to hidden codes within the symphonies are made, but never fully examined. The decision to present Mitya, at times, as an unsympathetic hero who believes he composes best under the tyranny of the state is a brave one, and it becomes a fundamental reason why the women in his life grow so frustrated with him.

Jenna Augen portrays Mitya’s long-suffering wife, Nina, an educated physicist in her own right, with a fiery yet still nervous disposition. She must always play a secondary role to her tortured-genius husband. However, this is an underwritten part that dispatches the very talented Augen all too soon, only to see her reappear briefly later as a nurse. Like the rest of the cast, Augen retains her natural accent for the majority of the play, in a choice by director Kate Fahy that continues the modern trend of avoiding parodic Soviet accents.

Fahy’s direction keeps the whole cast busy, with several members playing multiple roles and making effective use of the four stage entrances and exits of the Park200 stage. This creates a flurry of arrivals and departures, while some of the quick costume changes take place in the auditorium hallways. However, the pacing of the first half feels slightly rushed as we barrel through the war years at speed, with the dates helpfully projected onto the back wall, only for the pace to slow during the later post-war reflective scenes, sometime feeling drawn out. The lighting and sound design by Oliver Fenwick and Julian Starr respectively, vividly remind us of the dangers of the wartime setting, both as Soviet citizens and wartime survivors.

The play is at its best when Mitya shares the stage with Katya, played by Phoebe Pryce. Their chemistry is strong during the three distinct time periods in which they meet, and Pryce is afforded more opportunities for character growth and to demonstrate her range, evolving from a wide-eyed, sprightly youth, into a brittle, frustrated older woman. Completing the cast is Fergus O’Donnell as Izaak, who, like Pryce, also plays several additional roles. He possesses a Brian Blessed-like energy that ranges from an overly enthusiastic fan-turned-friend to a sinister Soviet plumber who reminds us of the very real threat of neighbours turning on neighbours.

Holy Fool’s writers clearly have deep affection for their subject, and the play bursts with ambition and flair as it vividly conveys the fear and paranoia that shaped Shostakovich’s life. Its exploration of music as a form of defiance under Soviet rule is compelling; however, it struggles to communicate the emotional power of the music itself, instead focusing too heavily on the machinery of the state. For a story about one of the twentieth century’s greatest composers, this feels like a missed opportunity.

Holy Fool runs at the Park Theatre until Saturday 10^th October. Details can be found here: Holy Fool – Park Theatre

Reviewer: Phil Meikle

Reviewed: 1^st September 2026

North West End UK Rating: