Review: THE FLEA, The Yard Theatre

Now this is how you do historical theatre. Eccentrically re-imagined yet alarmingly real, James Fritz’s The Flea is masterfully made.

The show is a quirky retelling of a forgotten piece of queer British history. In Victorian London, a flea bites a rat, and a rat spooks a horse, and the horse kicks a man in the head, killing him. That man is the father of young Charlie Swinscow, a Telegraph boy who, thrust further into poverty, finds himself taking up a new job as a male prostitute at a secret gay brothel. In an unlikely chain of events, the secrets of the brothel threaten to bring down some of the country’s best-known politicians and royals. The Flea returns to The Yard with a new cast, following its acclaimed run in 2023.

Award-winning writer James Fritz is better known for writing about the modern world, with plays such as the recently revived Lava and solo show Ross & Rachel. Now delving into the underbelly of queer history, this new play might be his best yet. The Flea is fully rooted in the Victorian era, but written from a delightfully modern point of view and with a consistent sense of fun. Dipping into the surreal and fantastical, it nonetheless packs an emotional punch in its final few scenes, unpicking with subtlety and nuance how the power dynamics at play in this piece of history are still present today. 

Director Jay Miller, also the founder and AD of The Yard, reanimates the story with a wicked, Tim Burton-esque sensibility. The world of The Flea is one that fuses pantomime, queer cabaret, fantasy, and comedy, with an ever-present sense of cheekiness and glee. Miller also navigates the humour of the piece with skill, getting several full audience cackles but avoiding giggles in the more heartfelt moments. He moves the ensemble cast around the space with an outside-the-box approach to blocking, including a gasp-worthy bit of staging to open Act 2. 

The world Miller and Fritz create wouldn’t be half as vivid without the incredible work of the show’s design team. Set designer Naomi Kuyck-Cohen turns Victorian London into Alice’s Wonderland, with stretched and squashed furniture distorting the space. There’s also elements of the queer underground and ballroom scenes, with a latex-look red carpet running through the centre of the stage. 

The crown jewel of this world-building is the costumes, designed by Lambdog1066. A magnificent pastiche of era-accurate dress, the designer mixes royal capes, ruffled shirts, and petticoats with harnesses, glitter, leather, and the crops and cuts of contemporary queer fashion. There’s a wealth of detail to every single outfit: especially stunning are the unusual capes for each of the upper class characters, ranging from a blonde wig to a patriotic tea towel. From set to costume to lighting (Joshua Gadsby), this is some of the most exciting design work currently on London stages. 

Each member of this ensemble cast embraces the wacky world of The Flea, bringing energy, character, and enthusiasm to a wide range of roles. While there’s no weak link, the standouts are Stefan Race and Tomás Azocar-Nevin. As ‘bad boy’ Henry Newlove, Race oozes confidence and swagger, with an underlying current of fear. He then transforms into troubled aristocrat Arthur Somerset, whose exaggerated campery is the source of many of the show’s biggest laughs. Especially fun are his scenes discussing his dating life with fellow gay aristocrat Fitz (Aaron Gill), where the gossipy tone feels straight from the present day. Meanwhile, Azocar-Nevin flicks between young Charlie Swinscow, the emotional heart of the piece, and the larger than life Prince Bertie, eking out every ounce of comedy from his facial expressions. 

The multi-rolling in The Flea is excellently done, avoiding confusion and instead using it as a device to illustrate unlikely parallels. Both poverty-stricken Emily Swinscow and reigning monarch Queen Victoria (Breffni Holahan) are mothers trying to figure out how to handle their queer children or grandchildren. Henry Newlove and Lord Somerset are both recognisable types from the contemporary gay world, transposed to a bygone era. Aristocratic Fitz, aspiring detective Luke Hanks, and local MP Barwell (Aaron Gill) are all seemingly well-meaning men whose overwhelming goal is to level up within their professional circles.

This rare gem of a production really has it all: a vividly imagined visual world, writing and directing that are driven by fun and creativity while remaining rooted in reality, excellent performances, and a fascinating true story at its centre. Go on, take a bite. 

The Flea runs at The Yard Theatre until  30 November

Image Credit: Marc Brenner

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