Review: In Conversation With Graham Norton (Waterloo East Theatre)

Review by Lily Melhuish

⭐️

Returning to London six years after its debut, Simon Perrott’s In Conversation With Graham Norton promises a “love letter to pop culture and loneliness.” Updated to reflect 2025, the play aims to explore the pressures faced by gay teens today. Unfortunately, this revival struggles to find relevance in a rapidly evolving cultural and technological landscape.

The concept has potential - a fifteen-year-old boy, Mark, confiding in a photo of Graham Norton. In the absence of friends, Mark uses Graham as a sounding board to express his grievances and explore his identity. He discusses sexual urges towards men on the tube, male teachers, and fellow students. He rattles through different periods of his life, formative years of being aged eight, ten, and twelve, delving into core memories that have led to the boy he is today. Teasing from his sister, physical and online bullying from his peers, and an extraordinarily bizarre incident with his cat that I'd really rather forget. 

Graham, as a national treasure and openly gay figure, could have offered rich symbolism: hope, resilience, and representation. Instead, he remains a static prop, devoid of meaning. The title feels like clickbait, and the play never interrogates why Graham matters to Mark beyond being “easy to talk to.” There is no acknowledgment of Graham’s own journey as an openly gay man growing up in Ireland during a politically tense era. Why doesn’t Graham provide any sense of hope or perspective? It could have just as easily been Jonathan Ross or Lorraine Kelly, and this missed opportunity sets the tone for a production that feels emotionally hollow. Even the staging undermines the concept: Graham’s photo sits stage left, despite Norton famously hosting from the right-hand side of his sofa. It’s a small detail, but indicative of a lack of purposeful decision-making throughout.

The writing is the production’s weakest link. Narcissistic, romanticised monologues that feel just as contrived as an award’s acceptance speech. Heavy-handed pop culture references (Chappell Roan, Benson Boone) fail to inject authenticity or nuance. Instead of feeling contemporary, these nods come across as superficial attempts to cement the play in “today”. The dialogue is completely disconnected from how teenagers speak nowadays, lacking modern queer colloquialisms or even basic slang.

Technology, a defining force in teen life, is barely acknowledged outside of blanket statements referring to “social media”. In reality, lonely teens aren’t talking to framed photos, they aren’t even talking to themselves; they’re engaging with chatbots. This omission makes the play feel dated, despite being set in 2025. The revival misses an opportunity to explore the darker implications of digital validation and isolation. If Graham Norton had been reimagined as a chatbot, the premise could have felt relevant and sinister, reflecting the superiority complex that algorithmic reassurance breeds.

Jamie Kaye delivers an earnest performance as Mark, but the material limits him. His portrayal is one-note, and multi-roling lacks distinction. Whether this stems from the writing or direction is unclear, but the result is a character who feels both sheltered and implausibly naïve. Graphic descriptions of sexual acts clash with claims of innocence, creating tonal inconsistencies that undermine credibility. For a boy who supposedly spends hours on chat forums, his ignorance of queer culture and sexual realities feels contrived. The play’s contradictions, Mark’s vivid sexual fantasies alongside his apparent cluelessness, make him an unreliable narrator, though this seems unintentional.

Design elements, a static bedroom adorned with queer literature and pop posters, hint at themes of survival and reinvention but fail to resonate. References to Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club” are so literal they strip the song of its metaphorical power. Similarly, fleeting mentions of Graham’s chat-show format beg for theatrical realisation. Why tell us when you could show us? Incorporating the audience as a studio audience could have added dynamism and reinforced themes of isolation. Instead, the staging remains unchanged, mirroring the lack of narrative progression.

The play eventually finds some heart when Mark drops the Graham gimmick and addresses the audience directly, but by then it’s too late. There is no suspense, no tension, and no meaningful foreshadowing. For a piece intended to reflect contemporary queer struggles, this revival feels misinformed and out of touch with the vibrant, boundary-pushing queer arts scene of today. The queer theatre landscape has evolved dramatically in the last five years, becoming more inclusive, experimental, and urgent. This production, by contrast, feels like a step backwards.

There are glimpses of what could have been. Religion, briefly mentioned, might have grounded the play and explained Mark’s isolation, but it’s brushed aside. An imagined Graham Norton sofa moment could have been staged to explore belonging and visibility. Instead, these ideas remain underdeveloped, leaving a play that sits in a grey area: too detached to embed itself in reality, yet not bold enough to be experimental.

A well-intentioned but outdated portrayal of teenage isolation and sexuality. With sharper writing, bolder staging, and a genuine engagement with modern realities, In Conversation With Graham Norton could have been relevant. As it stands, it’s a missed opportunity, one that reminds us how quickly culture moves, and how vital it is for theatre to keep pace.

In Conversation With Graham Norton plays at Waterloo East Theatre until 30th November. Tickets from https://www.waterlooeast.co.uk/in-conversation-with-graham-norton

Photos by Robert Piwko