Flock at Jack Studio Theatre Review
Joseph Clark, Tabitha Detroit and Romeo Mika. Photography: PlayingOn
Lin Coghlan’s play Flock is set in the South East London Borough of Lewisham, made with and for its people. It has previously toured, including a four week run at London’s Soho Theatre, and is now back in Lewisham for one week only.
It tells the story of 17 year old Robbie and his 20 year old sister Cel – they’ve grown up in and out of the care system and we see the impact that being in care has had on their lives. It becomes clear that Robbie wants a secure home with his sister, while she wants to get away, seeing University as the key to a better life.
Joseph Clark (Robbie) and Tabitha Detroit (Cel) offer a convincing sibling bond – their relationship is close but complex. Cel has been a surrogate mother figure to her brother from a very young age and there’s clearly some resentment there. Robbie is clearly carrying some trauma from his experiences, he’s angry and needy, wanting to show that he’s an adult but unable to let go of childish feelings.
This is conveyed best in his relationship with his social worker, Mrs Bosely, played by Alice Selwyn. Their interactions and growing relationship are the strongest part of the piece. She is the one working with him towards his adult independence but, with his insistence on calling her “Mrs Boozey”, his immaturity comes through. Selwyn gives an understated performance, which initially I found a little lacklustre, before realising that this is a deliberate choice as the care system has had its impact on her as well. Hers is a very sympathetic portrayal of an authority figure drowning under the weight of her impossible responsibilities.
The cast is completed with Romeo Mika, playing Robbie’s mate Miko and other characters. Initially offered as a bit of light relief, full of South-East London swagger and daft money making schemes, we also learn something of his life as a young carer to a disabled father and showing his vulnerability beneath the bravado. He also takes on a couple of darker characters from Cel’s life – his performance as these men is a stark and rather chilling contrast to his earlier appearances.
Despite the strong performances and a clear sense of these troubled young people’s lives, the piece felt a little too stylised in its design and direction. There is only fleeting reference to the “Flock” of the title – Robbie compares his relationship with Cel to that of a flock of birds, loyal but also “pecking the shit out of each other”. It was a good observation but not necessarily one that should give the play its title. Props – including mobile phones, tins of beans, records – were wrapped in cloth and I’m not sure what message was behind this as kids in care are certainly not mollycoddled. It was a bit of a distraction. More effective was the use of screens to indicate the various scenes that gave us a snapshot of the characters’ lives, with the actors moving them around the stage to create each space and scene. But with a lot going on, it did feel as if there was more emphasis on staging than on telling us about the care system experience at the heart of the play. Repetition of ideas like an escape to the seaside (Hastings, Margate and, er Dartford?!) and Robbie’s fixation on getting his “bidding number” needed a little exposition – I didn’t leave with a better understanding of the workings of the system and it was only when the story reached its climax with more focus on human storytelling than the rather muddled story that had led to this point, that it really packed an emotional punch.
There are 461 children in the borough of Lewisham without a family home. This is not a statistic that’s unique to this little corner of London or the UK in general. For a local audience, the local references help to draw us in, but I’m not sure how necessary these are to tell this story to a wider audience. With the lack of funding for social care a very topical political football – some parties want to fix it, others want to slash funding – it’s a timely and important subject. Flock does shine a light on the impact of an underfunded and under-resourced care system on the young people relying on it, but could have more impact with a bit more clarity and focus in the delivery of the play’s central message.
Flock runs at the Jack Studio Theatre until Saturday 3rd October 2026.
★★★
Written by Penny for Theatre and Tonic, September 2026.