Review: Radiant Boy at Southwark Playhouse Borough

28 May

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Five Stars)

Set against the snowy backdrop of North-East England in 1983, Radiant Boy at Southwark Playhouse Borough is a chilling, psychologically gripping piece of theatre. Nancy Netherwood’s script, paired with Júlia Levai’s direction, avoids tired horror tropes and jump scares, instead crafting a deeply atmospheric study of possession.

The play follows Russell (Stuart Thompson), a young man who has returned from his studies at a singing conservatoire in metropolitan London to his religious mother’s (Wendy Nottingham) small-town home for an exorcism to be performed on him by the local priest, Father Miller (Ben Allen), due to the strange behaviour Russell has been exhibiting. Russell’s “guest”, a spectral figure played with captivating intensity by Renée Lamb, is visible only to him and the audience but is deeply concerning to Russell’s conservative mother. What follows is not your average tale of demonic disturbance. Instead, the haunting in Radiant Boy is a layered metaphor, exploring queerness, religion, shame, and repression in Thatcher-era Britain.

Thompson delivers a tightly wound performance as Russell, navigating the character’s arc with wit and sincerity. His chemistry with Nottingham’s stern yet concerned Maud is thoroughly believable. Nottingham brings a complexity to a character that could easily have become a caricature of maternal denial while Allen’s performance as the priest is layered and nuanced. Lamb, meanwhile, delivers haunting vocals, omnipresent within the confined playing space of the Little theatre.

The design work elevates Radiant Boy to another level. Tomás Palmer’s set places the audience on three sides of a modest 80s-era living room with just enough detail - a record player, a wooden crucifix, and a window onto the snow outside - to transport us into the world. Lamb’s spectral figure uses the space to full effect, stalking the periphery of both Russell’s mind and the claustrophobic living room set. Lighting by Lucía Sánchez Roldan is not just functional, it cleverly marks the transitions between reality, memory, and possession. Meanwhile Patch Middleton’s sound design completes the sensory experience with a soundscape that underscores the rising tension as the play progresses.

Though not a musical, music is a central component of Radiant Boy. As musical coordinator, Elinor Peregrin utilises a combination of traditional songs, folk music, and 80s New Wave to great effect in order to mirror Russell’s internal conflict between the pull of his mother’s religious tradition versus the freedom and identity he found in London.

In conclusion, Radiant Boy is a richly atmospheric production that, rather than relying on familiar horror conventions, is elevated by the vision of a skilled creative team and a compelling ensemble cast.

Radiant Boy runs at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 14th June 2025.

Tickets are available here: https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/radiant-boy/