Review by Harry Bower
⭐️⭐️⭐️
When a nineteen year old cruising hitchhiker walks in on forty year old Ken in the service station toilets somewhere on the M61, a series of events unfolds which leads him to question a lot about his life. What is he doing? Why does Ken feel compelled to give the boy a lift? What are the consequences? Why is his electric car so slow to charge? Northbound Boy tells a story of conflict resolution, family dynamics, age-gap gay relationships, self-acceptance, drug abuse, homophobia, and daddy issues. It attempts to achieve a lot in its 90 minute run time. So would I be glad I stopped, pulled over to the side of the road, and gave the show a ride to its final destination?
The play is described as a ‘queer comedy’, so let’s start there. The good news is - I laughed! Writer James Hogan has a sarcastic flair which delivers some genuine laugh out loud moments, and the piece is acutely British in its humour. Expect throwaway quips, devastating self-deprecation, and regular subtle digs which will make you smile. As a story the premise is interesting enough - a hitchhiker picked up on the side of the road, good citizen gets more than they bargained for, family member intrudes on the adventure. The layers of meaning behind each interaction and line of dialogue is enough to pique interest, and once the intentional awkward nature of the opening scenes subsides it felt as though things were chugging along nicely toward an enjoyable if predictable crescendo. This is however where the writing starts to stall, and it struggles to get into second gear for much of the first third.
We first meet Aunt Ivy a full forty minutes in, and by this point I was gagging for a change of pace. It’s when Ivy and Ken are at each other’s throats that the writing is at its strongest, wrestling with family history and a sibling-esque battle of wits. Unfortunately the strengths here highlight weaknesses in other areas of the text which are hard to overlook. Ken and Rory’s back and forth gives a bit of mild whiplash as scenes lurch from horny banter to stories about childhood trauma. Lots of the piece proves a challenge for the audience to remain fully engaged. And are we really expected to believe that a 40 year old man (born therefore in 1984) has to google what the word ‘geek’ means, or perhaps more importantly, that a nineteen year old (therefore born in 2003) would use it to describe an older bloke? That criticism may seem picky but it is an example of a semi-frequent mismatch between writing and believable reality.
Northbound Boy marks the stage debut of Netlfix’s Heartstopper bully boy, Cormac Hyde-Corrin (Rory). He’s joined by Neil Ashton (as Ken) and Sarah Moyle (Aunt Ivy). Together they do their upmost to drive the narrative but are hindered a bit by some writing which can be chronologically unclear and inconsistent. Performances wise, Ashton is the standout - which is fortunate given he’s on stage for every minute of the piece. Huge kudos is due to him for the two very different personas he must juggle as Ken encounters tense family reunion followed immediately by eager young lust and chaos. His performance is finely balanced and he makes Ken affable and lovable in equal measure.
Moyle as Aunt Ivy holds a vulnerable power entirely befitting of her character’s development arc, relinquishing it at the perfect moment and embracing a sense of petulant resentment which fuels the drama. Hyde-Corrin’s debut is a really solid start of what will no doubt be a long stage career, pitching his Rory as cocky but under the influence and in need of ‘saving’ - actually a pretty challenging task which he just about pulls off. All three performers stumbled over words a bit, most notably in the pacey conflict-driven interactions. Any accusation of under-rehearsal might be countered by press night nerves but it was slightly too regular an occurrence not to mention.
Age gap gay relationships are typically underrepresented on stage, and I think Northbound Boy in its own way shows us why that is. If not done in a very specific way, i.e. led-by-the-younger-person, stories like this one would be open to all manner of accusations of creepiness (however unfair) and be pretty uncomfortable to watch. Fortunately this relationship carved out on stage is done in a smart way, which allows the audience to warm to both characters. It’s much easier to empathise with an inexperienced older man and an over-eager strapping young lad, if it’s that way around. Should it be? That’s a question only audiences can answer - and in many ways it is the play’s most impactful legacy. As a queer comedy it seems there is more it could have been, and perhaps there was an opportunity to be a bit braver. Ultimately though, this is a charming ninety minutes in the theatre.
Northbound Boy plays at The King’s Head Theatre until Saturday 01 September 2024. For more information visit: https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/northbound-boy
Photos by Charles Flint
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