★ ★ ★ ★

Reviewer - Emmie

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review.

Sucker Punch is recommended for those aged 14 and above, and contains strong language and racial slurs throughout. The show also contains flashing lights.

1980s Britain is at the forefront of Roy William’s astonishing play centred on a boxing ring in London. Outside the ring, tensions are rising between local communities and the police have been exacerbated by the disproportionate use of ‘stop and search’ powers against young black people. There is also the increasing economic decline of inner city areas and it seems very relevant to watch a play like this right now.

Sucker Punch is an intimate but hugely impactful piece of theatre that presents complex characters who are battling against rooted societal racism whilst also trying to make their foot into the world of professional sport. Last seen originally as a sold-out production at London’s Royal Court - 13 years later Roy Williams’ bold writing doesn’t hold back on its stark delivery.

As soon as you enter the performance space, Sandra Falase’s set design has created an intimate boxing room that is buzzing with life. The entire action of this play takes place in this one space and it works with the tempo at which the story is told.

The boxing gym brings together two best mates Leon (Shem Hamilton) and Troy (Christian Alifoe). Thatcher Britain plays as the backdrop and as the riots in Brixton and the Broadwater Farm Estate unfold outside - it seeps through to these two young people who must figure out what they want to pursue in their lives and where allegiances will lie. All of this is under the roof of their trainer Charlie’s (Liam Smith) gym. Charlie’s character very much takes advantage of Leon’s passion to boost his finances and reputation in the wider boxing world.

Then there’s Becky (Poppy Winter) who sees beneath Leon’s boxing fame exterior but cannot be seen in a relationship with someone who is black. Her introduction to the play is just as important too. It portrays that women didn’t have a part to play in this male-dominated world and that she wasn’t free from racial stereotyping and harsh words either.

The cast of this production is phenomenal. Each of their characters added a different layer to how this story is executed. They enabled to capture how these people grew and adapted to the different challenges presented to them. Sucker Punch has a huge impact because it wasn’t linear and really intriguing from the get-go. Whilst it does combat a lot of weighty themes - the writing has an antidote of humour too.

Asha Jennings-Grant and Enric Ortuño’s work on the movement and fight direction really added emphasis to the overall presentation. When there is a lot of fighting unfolding in the ring, it has been crafted to look realistic and effective.

This production also makes its best efforts to be accessible with the use of captions at every performance. Unfortunately, it didn’t align with the show’s pace and therefore didn’t create an important creation between the two. This also meant that during some moments in this show, their impact was lost if you used the captions to translate what was happening on stage. This would have given the production a 5-star from me!

However, Sucker Punch is a triumphant piece of visual theatre that will knock your socks off!