Review: Laughing Boy (Jermyn Street Theatre)

Review by Beth Bowden

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Leaving Laughing Boy at Jermyn Street Theatre, I am handed a post-show postcard. On the back, it asks me to ‘tell someone about Connor’ - and I walk back to the station with it clutched in my hand, reflecting on the evening that I’ve spent learning about his story. 

The show tells the story of Connor Sparrowhawk, affectionately nicknamed Laughing Boy by his family, who drowned in a bathtub at age 18 while under NHS care. His shocking death was preventable and was found to be the result of systemic failures by the unit Slade House, and the Trust, Southern Health. 

Laughing Boy is carefully crafted - both around the story of Connor, who loved London buses, lorries, fruit pastilles, and making people laugh - but also around the love, care and creativity that can happen when a community rallies together in the wake of social injustice. We explore the silly joys of family life, the complexity of language around disability, the brilliance of London buses, and the difficult ‘cliff edge’ transition to adult services. Video Design by Matt Powell shows images of Connor and his family: real videos, snippets of singing at school concerts, giggles, and lego videos and blowing out birthday candles. They are all the little intimate, nostalgic fragments that make up a person: that make up the intangible ‘humanness’ of Connor. 

It is clear that this story is deeply personal - originally written by Connor’s mum Sarah Ryan, and adapted and directed by Stephen Unwin, who has his own personal connection to the work. Stephen met Sarah in 2015 at a disability-focused event, and are both campaigners for the rights of learning-disabled people and family carers. You can see this research and activism threaded through - a piece of work dedicated to highlighting the neglect, failure of services, and indifference that has led to Connor’s death, but also the preventable deaths of thousands more. This dedication is also carefully balanced with the rage, the grief and the determination of Sarah and her family, to get answers for Connor. 

Whilst watching, it isn’t lost on me that the UN published a report last week, about how the UK Government has "failed to address grave and systematic violations of the human rights of persons with disabilities and has failed to eliminate the root causes of inequality and discrimination." Given this current social care crisis, blatant attacks on welfare payments, and increasing austerity, it feels increasingly important to centre stories like Laughing Boy. 

Connor was failed - over and over, by a system that had a duty to protect him. It is a tough watch - particularly as I have a disabled sibling. For mistreatment, failure of care, and death to be caused by the very institutions that are supposed to help, is fury-inducing and devastating. Anyone who has experience of ill health, disability or care, will know all too well what this feels like -  and how in times of crisis, you place your faith and trust in social care systems to support and protect the people you love. These services that people so desperately need are no longer accessible because individuals and families don’t have confidence in their safety. This truth holds the weight of Connor’s story, but also of the complex challenges faced by those with learning disabilities and their families. 

It is not a perfect piece of drama - but in some ways, I don’t think it should be - some sections are a bit clunky, a bit overwrought, a bit too long, but it’s sort of messily truthful. You can tell that the cast of 7, who creatively multi-role throughout, feel really passionate about Laughing Boy. It’s always infectious when you can tell that the company share love for their characters and their story  - Janie Dee is a particular standout, chatty, frank, and grieving as Connor’s mum. 

Laughing Boy is a testament to the power of social action, and celebrates how Sarah’s #JusticeforLB campaign has achieved so much, in unimaginable circumstances. It is also a reminder of the brilliant ‘cool dude’ that Connor was, how loved he is by his family, and how he deserved to live a long, full life.

Laughing Boy is performing at Jermyn Street Theatre until 31 May. 

For tickets and information visit https://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/show/laughing-boy/

You can view the ‘Justice Quilt’ created in memory of Connor as part of #Justice4LB, throughout the Laughing Boy’s run at St James’ Church, Piccadilly.

Photos by Alex Brenner