Conteh at Liverpool’s Royal Court Review
Written by Roby for Theatre & Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review. All views are our own
Conteh is a brand-new play that follows the life of John Conteh, who at 24 years old became the light heavyweight champion of the World. But that’s only half the story…
The show is written by Aron Julius, who also stars as Conteh himself. He delivers a “knock-out” performance - he perfectly encapsulates his character, and his emotional journey is superbly portrayed - he truly is the backbone of the show.
Julius’ script is also strong, and at times utilises flashbacks and internal monologues. Some of these work really well, particularly in the second half, but some at the beginning of the show can at times feel a bit cringeworthy and lack some naturalness - feeling a bit daydreamy as opposed to Conteh’s inner thoughts. Perhaps I’ve just misunderstood the purpose though!
The rest of the cast accompanies Aron Julius well. Amber Blease delivers a good performance as Victoria; she has a good chemistry with Conteh, but some of her scenes are stronger than others. Helen Carter has a natural, charming stage presence when onstage as either Joan or Marianne, however at times her accent can be a bit inconsistent. Zack Levene and Mark Moraghan also give good performances throughout. The cast of five work well together to tell a powerful story of self-discovery and resilience, with the help of director Mark Womack.
One standout moment for me are Conteh’s fight scenes - they are brilliant, and really well executed. Hats off to fight and movement director Rebecca Wilson, who has tackled an incredibly hard job!
Accompanying the performers are some good technical elements. Zoe Murdoch’s set design and Jamie Jenkin’s video design are standouts, and accompany the action on stage well. Whilst Kate Harvey’s sound design is also good, the “crowd” scenes could do with more reactions; when Conteh wins a fight, there is little to no reaction, followed by some very flat, somewhat emotionless pre-recorded “press interviews”. Other than this though, the sound throughout the show is good, and the music picked accompanies the action and scene changes well, even if the scene changes can at times be slow and clunky.
Overall, Conteh is an unapologetically scouse, inspiring story that has a strong cast and some nice design elements. The Royal Court delivers another high-quality performance that I have now come to expect of them. It received a well-deserved standing ovation, and is definitely worth a watch!
Conteh plays at Liverpool’s Royal Court until 09 May 2026
★ ★ ★ ★
