Gerry and Sewell at Aldwych Theatre Review
Gerry and Sewell production image. Photo by Von Fox Promotions
Written by Bronagh for Theatre and Tonic
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review
Content warnings: strong and adult language, references and depictions of domestic and sexual abuse, references to sex, depictions of alcoholism and references to sexual abuse.
First things first. I’m a Northerner. I grew up with a Greggs on every street corner, riding the Metro (the Geordie Tube), and yes, I would go out without a coat in sub zero temperatures. I’m extremely proud of being a Geordie, and even walked down the aisle to Local Hero by Mark Knopfler. That’s one thing about Geordies; we are all extremely proud of where we come from.
Gerry and Sewell transfers from the 60-seat Whitley Bay Laurel Theatre, where it debuted in 2022 with a cast of three. It later ran at Live Theatre and Theatre Royal Newcastle, where a community ensemble was added, and the main cast was expanded to six.
From Newcastle United scarves to carefully chosen black and white outfits to hearing ‘that’ accent everywhere, the Geordie pride was through the roof in the Aldwych Theatre. It wasn’t too different from walking into The Strawberry pub opposite St James’ Park on match day. Richard, Rosie, and Joe Power’s set caught my eye instantly. Why wouldn’t it? What is better than images of The Angel of the North, the Tyne Bridge, and the show stealer – a Metro which moved across the stage. They also tapped into the classic Newcastle vs Sunderland discourse (boo hiss), choosing to have Metro signs from both St James’ Park and the Stadium of Light.
Dean Logan and Jack Robertson (Gerry and Sewell, respectively) were brilliant. Two ‘radgies’ who just want their season tickets. They bounced off each other wonderfully, their performances showing the importance of friendship. Both are stellar comedy actors, also showing that they can do serious too as shown hugely by Logan in the scenes with his family.
Gerry and Sewell goes beyond following two young lads pining after their expensive season tickets. There are references to domestic abuse and touches of sexual abuse. Never fun or easy topics to portray, but this was done extremely well by both Katherine Dow Blyton as Mrs McCarten and Erin Mullen as Bridget. Their performances were raw and vulnerable, also showing the effects of Bridget’s rough sleeping and dependence on drugs. Bill Fellows as Mr McCarten was scarily accurate as an abuser, with the scene where he attended the hospital to see his wife really putting me on edge and anxious to see what happened next.
Gerry and Sewell also delve into the socio-economic factors which do effect some areas of the North East as well as the rest of the country. There are references to ‘the social’, stealing goods to sell on, the boiler on the blink, trying to find £1 for the bus, which of course are all very realistic situations affecting many people up and down the country, as well as the North East.
It wouldn’t be a show about the North East without musical elements. After all, we did create Jimmy Nail, Sting and the true Angel of the North, Cheryl Cole. Gerry and Sewell chose to use a lot of Sam Fender content. This is brilliant. He is a humble North Shields lad now selling out stadiums. However, I did think it could have been a nice idea to include other Northern artists. I draw the line at Let’s Get Ready to Rumble, though. That said, Luke Gaul’s original song Geordie Nation was purely belta and one to be proud of.
Gerry and Sewell is unapologetically Northern which, although fantastic, may run the risk of alienating some audience members who maybe don’t ‘get’ the jokes. I, of course, am not in that category. Seeing a show originating from the motherland on a West End stage truly fills me with pride. It also helps that it’s a strong show, skillfully blending comedy with stark reality. This is one not to be missed, Northerner or not.
One last thing…Howay the lads!
At the Aldwych Theatre until 24th January 2026
★★★★★
