We take a look at what is being said about this production of Nancy Netherwood’s debut play.
Broadway World: *** “The mise-en-scène toys with the ambience, plunging Southwark Playhouse’s smallest room into highly gripping fits where you can see every emotion and smell every candle. The script has a few issues, but the vision is undeniably remarkable.”
Theatre & Tonic: *** “First things first, the acting in Radiant Boy was superb. Thompson as Russell is truly acted with conviction and emotion, impressing the audience as his body is taken over by Steph and the aftermath of this. Nottingham brings some welcome comedic elements to the show, on top of acting as the disappointed, never impressed mum character. Much of Radiant Boy is made up of the exorcism – but – not sessions where Allen is interesting to watch, his face twisting in confusion and terror. Lamb is a joy to watch in the flashback scenes, it isn’t difficult to imagine her on the streets of Soho back in the 1980s.”
London Theatre 1: **** “Ultimately, it left me with lots of questions about Russell and what was happening to him. Was it real, or was it all in his mind? And if it was only in his mind, how did he know the things he knew and change the physical world around him the way he did? Was the guilt of disappointing his mother, not just by leaving her but by being gay, the factor that set his mind over the edge, or was there really a malevolent being inhabiting him and using him as a plaything? So many questions, which make for an amazing theatrical experience.”
The Spy in the Stalls: ** 1/2 “There is, at the heart of the story, an intriguing idea. There are some neat, if underplayed, genre twists. Nancy Netherwood is a writer with huge potential, and she produces a script that is crisp, elegant and technically adept. But the play is ambivalent about its subject matter, too prissy to roll up its sleeves and state its case.”
Musical Theatre Musings: **** “Whilst Radiant Boy describes itself as ‘A Haunting’ this new play has so many more layers than a simple ghost story. Nuanced characters, an intelligent script and gripping portrayals left me pondering the show for long after the candles had been extinguished.”
Radiant Boy continues to play at the Southwark Playhouse until the 14th June.