Second Best, Riverside Studios Review

Asa Butterfield in Second Best. Photo by Hugo Glendinning

Written by Philip for Theatre and Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review

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Second Best is a brand new comedy at Riverside Studios. A story of fate and what if’s. It follows Martin Hill as he tries to navigate life and the impending prospect of fatherhood while reflecting on a childhood incident and how it changed the course of his life. Martin was 10 when he was given the chance to audition for the title role in the new film, Harry Potter. He went through round after round until he was down to the final two. The decision to cast another actor in the role reverberates through Martin’s life and has consequences as he grows and matures. He waxes, Will he always be second best? 

Written by Barney Norris and based on the best selling novel by David Foenkinos, Second Best is a rather interesting watch indeed. Though billed as a comedy, the play encompasses more than that. It uses themes of loss and trauma and mental health while telling Martin’s tale. While it is humorous in places, the comedy never quite takes off. Norris’ writing is clunky at times. It is hard to try and connect to a character when what they are saying doesn’t always make sense. When it comes to a one-man play this is greater still. Leaving it to one person and their words to anchor the audience to the piece in general. Rather than setting and grounding the piece and protagonist we get thrown into a world of trauma almost instantaneously. I wish there was a bit more lightness, especially given it’s a comedy. That being said it was very poignant and touching in places. Norris tries to successfully capture the heart of the book in a much reduced time span. 

Michael Longhurst directs the piece. He uses Asa Butterfield and the stage space to his advantage. Using individual areas of the stage to focus on different moments in Martin’s life. A highlight to show Martin’s low points. Some of the choices did seem odd and slightly out of place but whether they were directorial or actor led remains to be seen. On the note of using separate areas to portray different times, the set by Fly Davis was extremely effective. Using distinct set pieces in certain spaces gave a real focus point for each anecdote and part of the story while always being in view to help with the full picture. 

Asa Butterfield of Sex Education fame makes his stage debut in Second Best and he is undoubtedly a very good actor. He does well with the material he is given to try and connect with his audience. An acclaimed screen actor, he occasionally struggled to keep fully embodied in his character which is a hard job for anyone as the only actor on stage for 90 minutes straight through. Not once does he leave the stage. One person performances are the greatest challenge an actor can face but Butterfield was warm and likeable yet seemed occasionally disconnected from the material itself. 

For me ultimately this production was just somewhat lacking. It needed more life and light especially for a comedy. Perhaps however watching a character grapple with mental health while finding hope and meaning in life was rather the point. 

Second Best is playing at Riverside Studios until 22nd February. 

★ ★ ★