After The Act at Royal Court Theatre Review
After the Act at Royal Court Theatre. Photo by Alex Brenner
Written by Mia for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
It’s often difficult to imagine a musical about a difficult subject, yet over the years, the likes of Come From Away and Titanic have shown it is possible. After the Act looks at Section 28, which banned the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in schools, and how it affected the LGBTQ+ community. The production, which premiered at the New Diorama Theatre (read our review here) in 2023, now plays at the Royal Court Theatre for a limited season.
In 2025, we might feel that the UK has come a long way in allowing everyone to freely express themselves in terms of gender and sexuality. Perhaps we have, but there’s still a long way to go, especially in certain walks of life.
After the Act is one of those shows that takes a little while to get going, and its approach is a little surprising: think interpretive dance, video montages and self-deprecating humour. Yet once you relax into it - and considering it’s such a difficult topic to broach - something about the show is mesmerising, with an excellent blend of humour, pathos and guts… as well as an abseiling lesbian.
The cast (Nkara Stephenson, Zachary Willis, Ellice Stephens and Ericka Posadas, supported by musicians Frew and Calie Hough) is small, taking on multiple roles to tell the story, as we hear from a variety of people on both ‘sides’ of the debate, including politicians, parents, teenagers looking to come ‘out’, as well as those who fought for everyone’s rights, those who didn’t, and those who wished they had. It’s a little bit chaotic, yet emotive and powerful.
The script (Billy Barrett and Ellice Stevens with music by Frew) is written very conversationally, ensuring that every single ‘um’ and ‘like’ adds to the storytelling to create a genuine feel of real people, sharing their own experience. It’s heartfelt and works well, aided by the fantastic cast whose emotion feels (and I’m sure is) real.
Staging is good, with a real classroom feel, and during the various monologues, the rest of the cast keep busy with activities linked to the theme. At times the lyrics are lost over the music, and some songs are a little too fast, which is a shame as messages and impact are missed.
It won’t be for everyone, that’s for sure, but it will resonate with many people, and you may just walk away feeling emotional, empowered and proud. I know I did.
After The Act plays at the Royal Court Theatre until 14 June
★★★★
