Review: NORTHBOUND BOY, King's Head Theatre

The current Off-West End theatre landscape is home to a plethora of queer narratives. From new work to reinventions, I’m always thrilled to see our community’s stories receiving the platforms they rightfully deserve. A venue that champions queer experiences in an extraordinary way is The King’s Head Theatre, now home to James Hogan’s new queer comedy, Northbound Boy.

With a fantastic cast at its helm, Northbound Boy has the makings of a fascinating insight into the queer experience, however, it falls short in its current form.

Rory is looking for a ride, any definition you think of will suit, up to Blackpool. He spots Ken at a service station, and soon the pair are at Ken’s inherited family home navigating a theft... carried out by Ken’s aunt. The plot is packed. We’ve got drugs, queer politics, family drama, death… the lot. They’re all fascinating themes to explore but in 90 minutes, this script craves depth.

The most interesting arc the script follows is Ken’s coming out journey. He’s struggled with family acceptance, which has only been exacerbated by workplace homophobia in the police force.  I loved that this was also illustrated from a Northern perspective. The treatments, and experiences, of queer culture differ vastly around the country – and a northern perspective is often side-lined.

Ken earnestly expresses his troubles with gay relationships and intimacy, I was eager to know more about the psychology behind this. Hogan is obviously a fabulous comedic writer, so delving deeper into this story line, and wrapping it up in warming humour, could be a triumphant queer narrative.

However, that’s not to say the theft story line is wrong all together – as Sarah Moyle as Aunt Ivy makes a pretty good case for it. She’s comedy gold on stage.  She’s sneaky, catty, and surprisingly tender at times. In his stage debut, Cormac Hyde-Corrin is terrific. He’s constantly playful and commanding and gives Rory a sincerity that helps us support his cause. Neil Ashton as Ken is superb in his own right and his chemistry with Moyle and Hyde-Corrin is delicious.

There’s a spark missing from Northbound Boy. Something stops it from ever truly becoming believable. It could be the rather distracting and soap-opera-esque sound design that accompanies tender moments. Or it could be the strange pacing, where faff is given the bulk of the conversation and resolutions are quite easy.  It’s frustrating because the potential of this piece is enormous, especially with such great performances.

It's always exciting to see new queer work – and Northbound Boy is no exception to this. It’s got some roaring one-liners and scratches at some worthwhile queer insights. With more depth and focus, Northbound Boy could be a queer comedy that the community desperately needs.

Northbound Boy plays at the King's Head Theatre until 1 September 

Photo Credit: Charles Flint

 

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