It was St Valentine’s night, 32 years and four children after our relationship’s first St Valentine’s night, and we were at Northampton’s Royal & Derngate for a preview performance of (the) Woman by Jane Upton.
I know there are people out there who will have a wry smile to themselves about what that says about the way things work between me and My One True Love, and as we settled into our seats even she was having a little chuckle about how far off my ideal St Valentine’s Night a raw new analysis of the beauty and horror of motherhood might be.
Admittedly, when I said “yeah, why not?” to the date, I hadn’t realised Saints were playing so I didn’t fully appreciate how much of an ally I was being but I am both a father and a son. Nobody needs to apologise to me for talking about motherhood. If I cringe or wince at some of the truths that’s just my ugly face doing its thing.
Lizzy Watts by Manuel Harlan
Firstly I’m going to say I really like this play. It flies by in 100 minutes of sweet and sour storytelling, scenes flickering between the farcical and fearful, stepping from humour into horror and out again with the kind of visceral indifference to our tiny minds that parenthood has when it arrives. It is brazenly honest, joyously vulgar, funny, thoughtful and sad. Upton puts you right in the loose-hinged front seat as you follow the progress of M, a playwright on her journey through early motherhood played by Lizzy Watts.
Lizzy Watts and Jamie Rose Monk by Manuel Harlan
Lizzy delivers a central character with fire and vulnerability who stays likable right to the end as the rest of the cast become an Alice in Wonderland style gallery of encounters on the way. Jamie-Rose Monk in particular has an instinctive touch with humour and pathos. The scene where she meets M for coffee is heart rending. Later she conjures up a laugh just by changing her expression.
Cian Barry, Lizzy Watts and Andre Squire by Manuel Harlan
The men are not the villains of the piece although they are far from perfect. The overarching logic of (the) Woman is that the world is not perfect and we will make unlikely and uncomfortable compromises with it every day. Andre Squire and Cian Barry stay likable too as embodiments of hope and disappointment in various guises, treading a skilful line between comical and credible. The really impressive thing about how good they all were is that this show is right at the start of the run. They don’t know yet when lines are landing in that irresistible way and the audience is going to laugh. These thespians really know what they’re doing.
Andre Squire and Lizzy Watts by Manuel Harlan
The production is a team-up between New Perspectives in Nottingham and Royal & Derngate and while it is probably wrong to call it a comedy, humour is right at the heart of this beautifully written play. You are a good way into the action when you understand what is really funny about the opening – a clever way to capture that “we can look back and laugh now” experience that is definitely part of parenting.
Lizzy Watts by Manuel Harlan
A red flag went up for me when M debates the topic of motherhood as a subject for a play with various theatre professionals. Normally I find this kind of ‘writing about writing’ a turn-off but Upton uses it to throw in laughs at the expense of theatre industry and tease us about the autobiographical nature of the piece. How much real Upton is in M’s story is one of the tensions that keeps you locked in all the way through.
If there is a real villain of the piece you might identify it as the concept of ‘the banality of motherhood’. The idea that it is too routine and ordinary to be a fit subject for drama is attacked head on with an absorbing and entertaining play but I don’t even think Upton is fully comfortable with winning the argument like that. The show closes with a hostile review emblazoned across the set that feels more like allowing Upton’s inner demons a final cheeky wink than an attempt to pre-empt criticism.
Lizzy Watts by Manuel Harlan
Is it a worthy subject? As an older parent watching this it rings with a vibration of truth that is unmistakeable. Only a young writer with the trauma and delight fresh in their mind can really get this. Parenting is a long game from any direction you look at it and there are no intervals. If there was a (the) Woman to watch from every era of history it would tell us so much wouldn’t it? What we do with the opportunity to enjoy our version of it is up to us.
A brand-new play by award-winning playwright Jane Upton opens in Northampton as part of the theatre’s Made in Northampton season.
Looking at the struggles of a young playwright hijacked by motherhood, (the) Woman previews at Royal & Derngate from Thursday 13 to Saturday 15 February before embarking on a national tour.
When a successful playwright swaps long writing sessions for snatched moments of peace, and wild nights out for evenings in with a breast-pump, she’s left wondering how she’s supposed to continue being a successful artist, wife, and friend while everything she knew has changed. Suddenly M is burnt out, angry, lonely, craving intimacy but disengaged, and terrified of the future. Sinking in exhaustion and self-doubt, M starts digging at the secrets of the system she’s in; unpicking where she came from in an attempt to navigate this new version of herself.
Lizzy Watts – (The) Woman rehearsal images by Tom Platinum Morley
(the) Woman is a Bruntwood Prize shortlisted play from George Devine Award-winning playwright Jane Upton (All the Little Lights). Based on her experiences as a woman formed in the ‘90s, losing herself in the transition from single woman to motherhood, it examines how becoming a parent changes a woman’s identity (though she’s told it shouldn’t), the compromises she makes (whilst being told she can have it all) and the level of masking that happens (because talking about your children or your needs is ‘boring’). (the) Woman, is a funny and painful scream from the abyss of early motherhood.
Jane Upton said, “I started writing this play years ago when I was in a particularly vulnerable state of early motherhood, trying so hard to be the best I could be. A boy (now middle-aged-man) I went out with at school told my brother he’d expected “more” from me than having kids in my hometown. I was both livid and broken. With a swollen body and no sleep, I started pouring all my anger and fear into the first scene of this play and built the rest from there. People have told me I’m brave to write about motherhood because it’s not sexy, which says it all really. Well **** that! This play is full of so many things I have wanted to scream from my cage. It’s about more than motherhood and it’s NOT just for women. I want men to see this play. I’m excited that New Perspectives and Royal & Derngate are getting (the) Woman out there because it feels like air and breath to say this stuff.”
Lizzy Watts, whose recent credits include Hedda Gabler (National Theatre), stars as M. She is joined by Jamie-Rose Monk (The Taming of the Shrew at The Globe), Cian Barry (Ethan Henderson in ITV’s returning crime series DI Ray) and André Squire (One Night in Miami (ABKCO Theater/Nottingham Playhouse).
(the) Woman is directed by New Perspectives’ Artistic Director Angharad Jones who said, “When Jane brought this play to me, as both a woman in this industry and as mother, I felt utterly seen and totally understood. This exceptional new play is a pipeline through the ground with a megaphone on the end of it screaming the truth of all women and mothers who feel suffocated or unsure. It is formally playful, inherently theatrical and will make for an unforgettable experience. This play has gone through development with rigour and care and with support from National Theatre’s Generate programme and a host of creatives. I feel privileged to bring this story to UK stages with a special connection to our home in the Midlands.”
As a thriving regional theatre, Royal & Derngate is pleased to be co-producing (the) Woman with New Perspectives, the leading touring theatre company in the East Midlands with 50 years’ experience of touring high-quality productions to venues of all sizes across the UK, from mid-scale theatres to village halls.
(the) Woman takes to the Royal stage from Thursday 13 to Saturday 15 February with performances at 7pm each night and a relaxed performance at 2.30pm on Saturday. The play is approximately 90 minutes long with no interval. Tickets priced from £15* can be booked by calling Box Office on 01604 624811 or online at www.royalandderngate.co.uk.
The production is recommended for ages 15 and over.
I’ll be up front – I went into this review thinking most musical theatre leaves me cold. Except The Book of Mormon of course. Oh, and Hamilton, Chicago and Matilda. Maybe The Sound of Music. Er…and West Side Story.
Alright, well maybe musical theatre only drives me nuts when the singing involves that Americanised, elongated vowel thing they dooooowww, of which there is plenty in the multi-award-winning Dear Evan Hansen, which kicked off its UK tour in Northampton and runs until Saturday (Jan 18).
An exceptional performance by Ryan Kobel as Evan Hansen All photos by Marc Brenner
Dear Evan Hansen (#DEH) is a new one for me. Not to my teen daughter, who knew the songs, a rough idea of the story and warned me there would inevitably be a load of people in tears by the end of it. Blimey.
But if you fancy being made to laugh, cry and generally pushed through an emotional mangle for a couple of hours by a fast-paced story with a superb cast and elite stagecraft, really, do try and get tickets while it’s in town. It’s an extraordinary thing to watch – mainly for the very brilliant – and admirably exhausting – performance of Ryan Kobel as the titular Evan. He’s excellent throughout, and definitely a rising star.
Lauren Conroy is Zoe Murphy
Evan is a shy, nervous and lonely teenager whose concerned mum Heidi (Alice Fearn) is trying to hold down her job and studies while deeply worried for her insular, anxious son. She enlists an (unseen) therapist who encourages Evan to write himself a letter each day extoling the virtues of ‘being yourself’. In a sharp twist of fate (no spoilers), Evan ends up being mistakenly though of as the best friend of a recently deceased school loner Connor Murphy (a suitably pale and moody Killian Thomas Lefevre).
The (late) Connor Murphy (Killian Thomas Lefevre) doesn’t completely disappear
Connor’s distressed and fractured (but well-off) family are given respite from the horror of Connor’s death, by an apparent suicide letter, leaving Evan knee deep in a white lie that escalates into full-blown social media frenzy, led by equally lonely high-achiever Alana Beck (Vivian Panka).
The underlying message of DEH is that everyone is battling their inner demons in one way or another and the cast do incredibly well to keep the story interesting – and hilarious – when the audience might be picking holes in the plot. Why in an age of social media doesn’t anyone question anything about the friendship, or the death, or the inevitable claims of teenagers to have been more deeply involved in the drama than they could possibly have been? Welcome to modern life, where basic fact checking and ethics seem to have done a runner.
Alice Fearn as Evan’s mum Heidi
There are some very strong songs – the live orchestra is brilliant, if a little too powerful in the first half, sometimes drowning out the vocals for those of us in the stalls – but that could have just been a first-night issue that seemed to settle as the show progressed. I had a huge lump in the throat caused by the talented Lauren Conroy, as Connor’s sister Zoe Murphy, in Requiem (an unflinching song about the deeper reality of grief), powerfully supported by Richard Hurst as Connor’s stereotypical American ‘Man-dad’ Larry and able understudy Jessica Lim as bereaved mum Cynthia.
Vivian Panka as Alana, who leads the Connor Project
Definite fizzing in my nose caused by Alice Fearn’s Heidi in the powerful song So Big/So Small, filling in the backstory of Evan’s childhood when his father left. ‘The house felt so big, and I felt so small…‘ *Gulp.
There was extra drama off stage when an audience member in the packed auditorium had a medical incident just before the interval, expertly handled by Royal and Derngate staff, and after a terribly British spell of awkwardness under the house lights, the cast expertly restarted.
The second half bounded along with the audience inevitably waiting for the whole series of Evan’s white lies to come crashing down around him. Which it does. But at the heart is a plea for deeper empathy across the generational divide, and that taking a leap away from the safety of home – and your head – into the mess of Real Life is truly character-building for everyone, however frightening it may feel.
It’s a truly modern musical with some grit at its core – and I noticed as well as providing context and contacts in the programme, R&D also had a banner for Northampton’s own young persons’ support chaity The Lowdown displayed in the foyer. And no, it’s not ‘woke’ to provide support around the themes of mental health and suicide, it’s empathetic humanity. Which is A Good Thing.
Dear Evan Hansen is a great show, and a reminder that Northampton has some really great touring theatre available for much less than a trip to London (or Broadway for that matter). If you can lay your hands on tickets before it moves off to the south coast, I’d recommend.
For tickets and information, visit the Royal and Derngate box office or call 01604 624811. Be quick as it’s almost sold out.
The brand-new production of the award-winning musical Dear Evan Hansen comes to Northampton’s Royal & Derngate from Tuesday 14 to Saturday 18 January, as part of its first ever UK tour.
Packed with some of the biggest musical theatre songs of the last decade, Dear Evan Hansen has a score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Oscar-winning composers for The Greatest Showman and La La Land) and a book by Steven Levenson. Its many awards include the Tony® Award for Best Musical, Olivier Award for Best New Musical and the Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theatre Album.
Today is going to be a good day. And here’s why…
Meet Evan: an anxious high school kid who wants nothing more than to fit in. The thing is, on his way to fitting in, he didn’t tell the whole truth. And now must give up on a life he never dreamt he’d have. As events spiral and the truth comes out, Evan faces a reckoning with himself and everyone around him.
Ryan Kopel (Newsies) will play the iconic role of Evan Hansen, alongside Lauren Conroy (Into The Woods) as Zoe Murphy and Alice Fearn (Wicked, Come From Away) as Evan’s mum, Heidi.
They will be joined by Helen Anker (Mamma Mia!) as Cynthia Murphy, Richard Hurst (The Lion King) as Larry Murphy, Killian Thomas Lefevre (Bat Out Of Hell) as Connor Murphy, Tom Dickerson (Heathers) as Jared Kleinman, Vivian Panka (9 to 5 the Musical) as Alana Beck and Sonny Monaghan (discovered via TikTok) as alternate Evan.
This is the first production of Dear Evan Hansen in the UK to perform the show with an ensemble. The ensemble are Lara Beth-Sas, Will Forgrave, Daniel Forrester, Jessica Lim, Sonny Monaghan and Olivia-Faith Kamau.
The casting team collaborated with TikTok during the audition process, inviting TikTok users who were interested in being cast in the production to upload a video of themselves singing any number from the show. The team then reviewed all submissions and invited those they felt could be a part of the cast to
participate in the formal audition process. Over 2000 videos were submitted and of those, 36 TikTok users were invited to in-person auditions. Sonny Monaghan was cast in the ensemble, and as alternate Evan (performing the role twice a week, at every matinee performance), as a result of the TikTok collaboration.
Director Adam Penford said “I am beyond thrilled with the talented cast we have assembled. An exciting mix of musical theatre legends and rising stars. It’s been nine years since the original show premiered, and it’s an honour to be the first production to reimagine this powerful story through a contemporary lens.”
The production is also delighted to announce its partnership with The Mix, the UK’s leading digital charity for under 25-year-olds. The show deals with sensitive topics, very relevant to young people today, and this partnership will ensure that anyone affected by the issues explored in the show knows where to find support.
Dear Evan Hansen takes to the Derngate stage from Tuesday 14 to Saturday 18 January. To check times and to book tickets, visit the theatre’s website www.royalandderngate.co.uk or call Box Office on 01604 624811.
In these doom-laden days, there’s a lot to be said for taking some time out to do something utterly detached from reality and away from phones, like taking in a show at the theatre. But that message hadn’t got through to the middle-aged man sitting next to me at Derngate’s annual festive offering, who spent the entire first half on his mobile with a face like a slapped backside.
The previous night I’d been at a gig at the very excellent Black Prince to see Space, a 90s band still on the road with a superb young support act, Headfeeder, and it was brilliant to see the combination of teen band starting out with the experienced Britpop stars – or it would have been if a load more middle-aged blokes in front of us hadn’t been recording the whole thing with their mobiles, blocking everyone’s view.
Marcavia McCarthy shines as Cinderella – All photos by Pamela Raith
Teenagers get a load of grief for phone use – but the three with me didn’t touch their phones for the whole of Cinderella – even telling me off for Tweeting about this review before the curtain went up. While some of the jokes might have flown over their heads (like one about Adam and the Ants), they were fully immersed from the moment Fairy (the rather brilliant Joanne Clifton off-of Strictly) cha-cha-ed onto the stage to open the show.
This Fairy (multitalented Joanne Clifton) needs to earn her wand – pic by Pamela Raith
I barely need to give you the story of Cinderella, but in this production the cast are such panto stalwarts they deserve a synopsis. Relative newcomer Marcavia McCarthy shines as the titular heroine, Cinderella, recently orphaned and faced with the prospect of domestic drudgery for her newly arrived ugly stepsisters AldiAnna and Lidleena (geddit?), played by Gordon Cooper and Matt Daines, probably a little long in the tooth for a wicked stepmother.
McCarthy’s Cinders is the subject of her best mate Buttons’ affections, but the feeling isn’t mutual, and comic Dave Bibby wrings every drop of sympathy out of the audience when he declares his suit, only to be rejected in favour of Prince Charming, played sweetly by Marcellus Whyte.
His servant/sidekick ‘Andini’ is Andy Day, of CBeebies fame, and while he may still be the longest serving children’s presenter on the BBC kids’ channel, he’s honed his acting chops in panto and still looks like he enjoys every minute (plus EVERYONE in the audience recognised him, from grannies to tiny tots).
You can usually tell if a panto is hitting its mark by how much the young’un’s are wriggling about on laps and begging for sweeties, and in the first half there was a lot of wriggling. But then the audience participation fully kicked in, with bellowed ‘he’s behind yous,’ and the obligatory verbal stalking of an unwitting male audience member by the Ugly Sisters (it was Chris at our show, never sit in the front five rows if you want to avoid this).
A couple of ‘oo’ moments were served up by a slightly creepy but impressive flying unicorn, some smoke and snow, the amazing costumes – mainly worn by the wicked stepsisters – and the impressive choreography and singing. This is a really talented cast, which isn’t, with the best will in the world, always the way with panto.
There’s a wonderful moment – no doubt triggering for the stalwarts who have unwavering views on how everything in the olden days was better and ruined by ‘wokeism.’ A junior cast member calls out the traditional panto set-up, for insisting that all heroines just want to find a prince and get married, or do housework, or wear pretty frocks to impress the male gaze, and how calling anyone ugly is bullying, and generally sending a rallying cry out to subvert the pantomime tropes. It’s a neat way of dragging an audience of all ages into seeing things through a modern lens.
There’s something for everyone in this version of Cinderella – even the man with the phone stopped scrolling and paid full attention in the second half.
So for a Christmas treat, buy a ticket, and enjoy a few hours of fun and laughter. Just, at least, put your phone away until the impressive finale.
Cinderella runs at Royal and Derngate until December 31 with booking and information available via the website or by calling the Box Office on 01604 624811.
A celebration of the people who make Northamptonshire what it is today is being unveiled in November at an exhibition organised by local arts, community and heritage organisation 60 Miles.
The exhibition, made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, is set to be officially launched on Wednesday, November 13. It will showcase the ‘60 Miles presents: Community Comics’ project (inspired by the famous Northampton song known to many), with extracts from a new anthology of comic books, audio recording, pieces of writing and other creative gems on display.
Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage.
Laura Graham, the project’s Community Facilitator, explained “It’s easy to think of Northamptonshire’s heritage in terms of its historic landmarks, famous figures, and pivotal moments. However, the true essence of our county is its people – their stories, their struggles, their triumphs, and their everyday lives.
“That’s what this project is all about: telling the stories that don’t always make the headlines, but that truly define our communities and capturing these stories so that the voices of Northamptonshire’s communities are not only heard today but are also preserved for future generations. We are grateful to National Lottery players for making this project possible.”
Six Northamptonshire community groups feature in the comic books and exhibition, each having worked with the 60 Miles team over the summer to explore and share the stories that were most important to them.
The groups featured are:
Affinity Day Care CIC, based in Daventry and Northampton, which provides day care for people later in life
Q Space, a voluntary group for LGBTQ+ people in Northamptonshire
Deafconnect, a charity for the county’s deaf and hard of hearing
Power of the Mind Networks, a Wellingborough group that uses storytelling to prevent women from becoming socially excluded
Northamptonshire Mind, the county’s leading mental health provider
Indian Hindu Welfare Organisation, a voluntary organisation based in Northampton’s Weston Favell Shopping Centre, which provides activities and events for the local Hindu community
Andy Routledge, 60 Miles Founder, said: “What’s particularly exciting about our comic book anthology is the range of forms and styles it contains. Some stories are deeply personal, reflecting individual experiences or family histories. Others are collective, representing the shared experiences of a particular group or community. Together, these diverse styles mirror the diversity of Northamptonshire itself, a place where many different worlds coexist.”
As part of the Heritage Fund-supported project two launch events are being organised by 60 Miles, set to take place at V&B Northampton on Wednesday, November 13 at 6pm and Saturday November 16 at 1pm. These are free to attend, but due to limited spaces the organisers are urging people to book as soon as possible via https://bit.ly/60MilesComic.
The exhibition space is upstairs at the V&B bar, which is opposite the Guildhall in Northampton town centre. There is lift access and there will be BSL interpreters at the events.
A two-week exhibition will then run at V&B Northampton on from Wednesday, 13th November to Sunday, 1st December. This is a pop in exhibition, no need to book. It will include a number of oral history recordings alongside the comics and creative outputs, which the public are invited to listen to as they explore the collection.
I’m not much of a banqueting man but I make an exception for the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards.
At first glance the opulence conjured up at Royal & Derngate, where the main auditorium is transformed into a vast and glittering dining venue filled with the great and good of local catering, might seem like precisely the kind of event I should be avoiding.
But as it proved once again with its 2024/25 event last week, our food and drink awards is no ordinary banquet.
Billy Lockett
You could interpret it as a kind of end of season do for the people who work so hard creating the distinctive flavours and produce we enjoy every week in our own treats and celebrations, budgets permitting.
But as the event’s MC Anna Murby once reminded me (returning to marshal the evening immaculately with a steel fist in sequinned glove): “This is not the end of their season, they are about to go into the most important part of it.”
Anna Murby
Maybe the frisson in the awards night air is the crackle of competitiveness and an understandable desire to be recognised in a process that includes public votes, expert judges, nominations and secret shoppers to decide who gets the gold, silvers and bronzes.
But underneath all that, and fair enough there is some of that, there is also the knowledge that the approaching festive season might hold the key to these businesses’ whole year and perhaps ultimately their survival.
Waiting staff bring out the dishes at the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards
The food and drink sector contains a huge number of small businesses, family businesses and start ups. The jeopardy for them is very real if they take the wrong risk or their ideas fail.
The pictures from the event reveal a congregation who have come dressed as the very best versions of themselves and yes, there are the King’s representatives, ennobled patrons and big hitters from big local companies you may have heard of like Mercedes and Weetabix. Alongside them, however, are the pubs who have brought their bar staff and the kitchen table entrepreneurs whose world is a million miles away from the corridors of the powerful.
Recognition in the awards can lead to a surge in demand for a product and restaurants have reported as much as a 20 per cent increase in footfall if they win something. This is far from a meaningless end of season ego tickle. It is much more like warriors collecting their magic swords before they head into the most important battle of the year.
At our table were Vicki and John from Towcester Mill Brewery (finalist in Food and Beverage Achiever of the Year), the chef and manager from Saffron Fine Indian Dining in Brackley (finalists in World Cuisine Restaurant of the Year) and the crew from The Hopping Hare who have had prize winning chefs and runners up awards in the past but this year along with Hibiscus at Delapre they were awarded Gold in Restaurant of the Year. It was quite something to see it dawning on their faces that this was going to be a bigger night than they had initially anticipated. It was no surprise to see The Hopping Hare get honoured. It is one of the places beloved by showbiz types who are doing a night or two at Derngate and are looking for a quality bite to eat.
Georgina Jeyes Outstanding Contribution to Food and Drink
Pop star and local hero Billy Lockett was on stage to hand over the awards and once everything was handed out the room loosened up considerably as some headed for the dancefloor while others headed for the door. It’s a moment of opportunity to check in with people who are in that limbo between staying and going. After my customary hello to the Guv’nor of all governers Morcea Walker, I was fortunate enough to meet Georgina Jeyes who received an award for her Outstanding Contribution to Food and Drink. Jeyes of Earls Barton (the revivers of Northamptonshire Sauce) has a heritage and rollcall of achievements that far exceeds the space I have to give it here and the award is well deserved indeed.
If there are eateries, drinks or products that you think are deserving of recognition then you can help them become part of what awards organiser Rachel Mallows described as the “Food and Drink Awards family” by nominating them when next year’s awards are launched.
A melancholy and moving adaptation of the book by Kazuo Ishiguro – well-worth catching during its Northampton run this week.
Kathy (Nell Barlow) and Ruth (Matlida Bailes) in Never Let Me Go – Photography -Hugo-Glendinning
Right then, if you haven’t read the book, or watched the film, beware the gentle spoilers ahead. Despite having a one-line synopsis from my 16-year-old daughter who ‘did’ the book for GCSE (“dunno, s’about clones”) I wouldn’t say I knew much more than that before taking our seats.
We’re introduced to our protagonist/narrator Kathy, (an extraordinary performance by Nell Barlow who is hardly ever off stage), a ‘carer’ for newly-admitted surgery patient Philip (Maximus Evans). Only this isn’t a normal hospital and these aren’t sick patients. Philip encourages the kind but buttoned-up Kathy to tell him her story, and we are skillfully transported across three timelines.
Nell Barlow and Maximus Evans
Kathy and her best friend Ruth, (Matilda Bailes, who plays the selfish teenager so expertly I was growling at the interval), had attended a privileged but totally secluded liberal arts boarding school called Hailsham. Other, less pleasant schools exist and Hailsham has developed an almost mythical status as their pupils are encouraged to be creative and healthy, but mostly oblivious to what the audience works out quite quickly. And the actions of Hailsham’s staff (Susan Aderin and Emilie Patry) are mysterious.
In fact, in this unsettling sci-fi story that feels ominously closer than we might want to consider, human frailties are offset by technology’s ability to allow some people to live longer and stronger than nature had intended – at the expense of others.
As Kathy reflects on her past, supporting Philip and then others through their ‘donor journey’, there’s a latent sadness about the inevitability of the former pupils’ fate, punctuated by a desperate need for hope.
Kathy’s connection with her childhood oddball friend Tommy (Angus Imrie) is palpable. Her friendships with alumni Hannah (Amelie Abbott), Laura (Princess Khumalo) and Alfie (Tristan Waterson) at once close yet disconnected, are as familiar as our own connections to schoolfriends with shared experiences.
We follow the utterly human patterns of love, joy, fear, longing, deceit, pity and heartbreak as Kathy, Ruth and their childhood friends transition away from school towards their adult fates.
A genuinely expert young cast move along a brilliant adaptation by Suzanne Heathcote (of Killing Eve and soon to be released Thursday Murder Club fame) thanks to the speedy direction of Christopher Hayden (it took me a few goes to notice the last line of each scene transitions straight into the next). Tom Piper’s set is beautiful but simple, and I found myself momentarily distracted from the unsettling ethics of the not so futuristic fantasy playing out by the clean lines of the light wood carpentry and frosted panes.
Former schoolfriends Kathy and Laura (Nell Barlow and Princess Khumalo)
Barlow’s Kathy, Bailes’ Ruth and Imrie’s Tommy, (a nagging feeling I knew his voice resolved by his previous job on The Archers), are highly commended as the three fractured friends and you’d do well to catch this exciting ensemble on the Northampton stage before it continues on tour.
Never Let Me Go is a Royal & Derngate, Rose Theatre, Bristol Old Vic and Malvern Theatres co-production and runs until Saturday October 26. For tickets click here or call 01604 624811.
From mid-table mediocrity to the top of the table - and with more than a dozen international players in the squad - Northampton have a target on their back as the team to beat. Hilary Scottspeaks to Fin Smith, Alex Mitchell and Tommy Freeman about losing, winning and doing it all over again in the new season.
“When I was in the academy, I’d look about and be like ‘there’s Stevie Myler, Ben Foden…’ and I was like, oh, be really polite around them and what-not,” says Saints and England scrum-half Alex Mitchell. “I guess we’ve kind of stepped into that role now.”
‘Mitch’, an essential part of the Saints structure and now with 123 appearances for the club, wracks his brain when asked who the new ‘old man’ of the club is, until it dawns on him that at the grand old age of 27, it might actually be him.
“It must be Hutch [Hutchinson], he’s 28.” (Elliot Millar-Mills is actually the eldest, a club staffer whispers behind us). “I guess it’s people like Hutch and I guess it’s me, and Ferbs [George Furbank].”
Alex Mitchell
It turns out rugby players don’t rank seniority on age, but on caps (appearances): “I was the first pick in the draft for the lockers, because that’s done on caps, and you get two for international caps so it was between me and Hutch I think.
“But we’ve got a really young squad and it’s exciting.”
Mitchell joined the academy back in 2015, and quickly joined the senior squad training with scrum halves like Lee Dickson and then Cobus Reinach. He’s now the first choice 9 with competition from Tom James, and plenty of academy talent from players like Jake Garside and Archie McParland coming through.
Mitch was lucky enough to meet new supporter Pippa, aged four months, and mum Emily, who had come to the club’s cup day during training. Yes, that’s a gumshield, not his teeth! (photo courtesy of Emily Blake)
He’s keen to get the season started, and with an away game against last year’s rivals Bath, who they beat in the Gallagher Premiership final, Mitch knows they need a strong start: He said: “Obviously, is the first game of the season, so it’s the first hit out for a lot of boys and we know it’s a massive, a massive game. Now, obviously, they’re going to be one of the best sides in the league again. It will be a great marker for us, especially down at their place, a tough place to go to see where we’re at.”
Fly-half Fin Smith, at the grand old age of 22, is also one of the Saints’ backs to have impressed both at club and international level and says the 23-24 season was the best of his career. His relationship with scrum-half Mitchell is key to Saints’ success and evidence of the strong bonds between players on and off the pitch:
Fin Smith
He explained: “Firstly, he’s one of my best mates, Mitch. We’ve spent a lot of time together. We obviously grew a lot last year and spoke sort of every other day about how we saw the direction of the team going and how me and him could help drive that. And then off the back of the tour we’ve had a couple of conversations about things that we think England do well, and things that we think Northampton do well, and how we can sort of take the best from both and drive that into this season.
“We’re both just looking to get better day by day and I’ve loved playing with him, he’s a joy to be alongside.”
Smith was snapped up by Saints after the collapse of Worcester Warriors in 2022 after he played a few games for Ampthill, and his career has blossomed at Franklins’ Gardens, winning the Premiership and causing headaches for England selectors over which Smith to choose in the crucial fly-half spot.
Ollie Sleightholme and Fin Smith at pre-season training
“It’s been such a busy year, we probably had a couple of days after winning the Premiership to really celebrate and enjoy what we’ve done as a group, because obviously it was a huge achievement and a great year as a team, and I felt like I took big strides personally. But then we were straight back into the next challenge, going to New Zealand, Japan and trying to get on with that. Everything’s quite fast moving, but I’m sure it’s something I’ll look back on in years to come as an amazing year and probably the best one I’ve enjoyed so far in my career.
“Last year I had a big, big goal to get capped – and that happened. And obviously we did something great in the league. I’d love for this group to be able to back up what we did last year, I think potentially with some of the some of the outgoings we’ve had, maybe people are writing us off a little bit, but we’re super confident that we’ve got enough quality to back ourselves.”
Smith was one of seven players to join up for a holiday in Bali after the England tour and says the break from playing was welcome – even if it included a bout of ‘Montezuma’s revenge’:
“I did a little pit stop in Bali for a few days but unfortunately caught a bout of Bali belly which had me out on my feet for a few days…but it was nice to cut loose after such a long tour.
“I think personally the way the way last season probably finished for me, has given me a real hunger going into this season. We had a great year with Northampton and then maybe didn’t quite perform how would I liked over in New Zealand [with England]. So actually it’s been less sort of dwelling on what’s been, and actually being really positive so it doesn’t feel too much like pressure.
“I want to be the best player I can be, and that’s all I’m working towards every day. We’ve always talked about playing space and moving the ball. So yeah, that’s absolutely the goal. Keep pushing it – pushing ourselves to play an exciting brand of rugby but also one that we believe is going to help us win games.
“Everyone seems to be gunning for the team that’s won the league, and whilst we expect that to happen, I think we quite like the idea that we’re going to quietly go about our business and hopefully surprise a few people again like we did last year. I think it’s going to be something that’s really positive for us, we’ve still got a big core of the group that were involved last year and we’re working hard to replicate what happened last season.”
In a pool of very talented young players, Tommy Freeman adds an enviable versatility. The 23-year-old, 6ft 2in winger/centre/fullback gives selectors at both Saints and England a dilemma, as a versatile back, but does he have a preference about where he plays?
He says: “In junior rugby I was the late bloomer, so I was the little kid that went to nine, then I was at 10. So yeah, as I’ve got bigger and faster I’ve gone out to the wing and now I’m getting bigger and wider I’m moving back in.
“Chopping and changing can be a bit difficult at times, but if they [England] want me on the wing and then I’ve got to have consistency there, if they want to play me at 13, I’ve got to train there and do all the things that I need to do there as well.”
Tommy Freeman
Tommy revealed that when he went out to New Zealand with England straight after the Premiership win, he immediately got a chest infection, which then eased off in time to play, then flared up again once he got home. “I had a chest infection in the first week, and didn’t train until about Thursday. As soon as I got back off the tour I was hit by the same thing.”
He’s keen to take learnings from his England experience, and discussed the different ways he’s used at club and country. “My position was… actually I’m not sure what position at the moment, but, uh, Centre, Wing.
“That high ball focus that we’ve got with England and how hard we go after that. Um, it’s definitely something we’re going to probably implement here [at Saints] as well. Having the strength and dominating the air. I’m pretty happy at both positions, centre and wing, to be honest. I think having both of them definitely helps me. But yeah, obviously, first and foremost, being on the pitch is the most important thing and wherever the coaches see fit.”
But playing different positions – even if you’re a professional rugby player – takes a little mental dexterity: “Sometimes you can kind of be in that mode where on the wing you’re a bit freer, in roaming mode, picking up things where you want, whereas at 13, you’re probably in a more fixed place. So, there are probably times in my head where I’m making a decision before I’ve actually got the ball, I’m going to kick it when it’s probably not on and I can just pass it.
“Ferbs can cover a few positions. He’s got his 10 and 15. We obviously complement each other a little bit. I mean if I need to go to fullback as well I can step in there. He kind of does his job and I’ll do mine and we go from there.”
So how does it feel to be back training as champions and keep the momentum when everyone basically thinks you’re great?
“There’s a balance – and I think there’s a bit of a trap there as well that you can kind of fall into. Obviously after winning the Prem you can kind of take your foot off the off the pedal a bit. But I think we’re all young and hungry enough to realise that in today’s game, each team are going to be hungrier to get the top spot. So we’ll have some targets on our back and we know that. We’ll have to just keep our heads down and carry on our business and hopefully back it up this year.”
Northampton Saints host Leinster in a pre-season game at 2pm on Saturday, September 7. Tickets and info via Northamptonsaints.co.uk
