Review: Porridge Boy (Greenwich Theatre)

Review by Dan Sinclair

⭐️⭐️

The UK theatre scene is crying out for brand-new musicals, something we do exceptionally well at regionally and within London. Whether this be the Hollywood-worthy success story of Operation Mincemeat, the political urgency of Cable Street or the tender heartstrings of Mayflies, we are in a golden age (but with workable and fair arts funding, we’ll be in a platinum age… I think that’s what comes above golden?) For a limited run at the Greenwich Theatre, we have Porridge Boy, a new musical and directorial debut by Irish singer-songwriter Brendan Shelly. 

The musical tells the story of Dan and Joey, two brothers trying to cope with the recent death of their father. This is partnered with their Mam, played by Kathryn Rutherford, trying to move on while deciding whether or not to get engaged to her late husband's best friend - Maurice. This marks the show's premiere, having been in the works with an impressive crowdfunding campaign supporting it. It is a show with a remarkable heart behind it. Brendan Shelly, a therapist with young people, has created this show to shine a light on bereavement and the forms that grief can take. Equally, as stated on their crowdfunder, any profits will be donated to Cruse Bereavement Care - the UK’s largest grief support charity. Unfortunately, this background does not redeem its shortcomings as a piece of musical theatre. 

As I sit down waiting for the performance to begin, a small issue on the set begins to bug me. The wallpaper on the flats isn’t aligned properly? Is it deliberate? I don’t think so. And for a play set in 1979, the rice krispies look like they were bought this morning. But I should stop being so pernickety (I’ve now learnt how to spell pernickety). But this is just the beginning. And then the show starts, and it looks as if Britney Spears is missing 4 of her head mics. Very quickly you realise why these have phased out of use. Every single strand of hair, the crinkle of a bedsheet and the awkward clink of a spoon is boomed out through these microphones. I fully understand that this comes from budgetary restrictions, my sincere advice is to hire a much smaller venue and use that saved money to invest in microphones. And this is because this show delivers us some fantastic voices. I have to applaud every single member of the cast, who are clearly talented and experienced performers. Kathryn Rutherford as Mam has a phenomenal belt and brings a sensitivity to every scene. Luke Coughlan and Ryan Roy as Dan and Joey respectively carry most of the show on their shoulders. Ryan had a notably sweet tone to his voice, perfectly matching the folk music accompaniment. The rest of the cast do a very fine job with the little they are given. 

The show only has the illusion of things happening in it. The story opens with an interesting premise: a mother and her two sons trying to get over the recent death of their father. How did he die? Don’t know. How are they processing it? Badly. The remainder of the show is these three characters seeking to remind you of how badly they are processing it through the power of a ballad. Beyond anything, it is immensely frustrating. Characters don’t change (until the ending scene) and not a single action has any consequence. This rule even applies to the beatings of the boys dolled out by their evil stepfather, a wicked turn from Shane Morgan. He viciously beats and strangles Dan on multiple occasions, but don’t worry - just let him sing a ballad and forgive him as he doesn’t know any better. 

And without much happening, the two boys forgive him and seemingly give their blessing for him to marry their mother. I was very excited for this show, having written and researched folk culture, and loving folk music and musicals such as Once, Girl From the North County and Hadestown prove that this style is a hit. But the musical seems to get bored of its own musical styling halfway through the performance, ditching the onstage musicians in favour of a pre-recorded track with a disco beat that sounds just like the opening to ‘Umbrella’ by Rihanna. The lighting design is similarly flat, the stage is completely warm-lit for the entire performance, leaving characters to fall asleep in violently bright lights. With a set composed of 3 rooms only separated by a change in wallpaper, some inventive lighting design could’ve added so much. 

I must commend the musical for being a big swing - a brand new nearly 3-hour musical with an 8-strong cast opening for the first time in a 400-seater with a first-time writer and director. It’s a bold move, but that can risk a big miss. The London theatre scene is crying out for bold new musical theatre, and I believe that this creative team could benefit greatly from more time perfect their work before returning a venue of this scale. While I wasn't won over by the show, I would still urge you to check out the work of Cruse Bereavement and consider donating. 

Porridge Boy is showing at the Greenwich Theatre until the 26th of May. 

https://greenwichtheatre.org.uk/events/porridge-boy/ 

Cruse Bereavement Support

https://www.cruse.org.uk/