Wonder Boy

WONDER BOY IS FULL OF HEART AND HUMOUR BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, AN INTELLIGENT EXPLORATION OF ALL TYPES OF COMMUNICATION

As I headed to Lowry this evening to see Wonder Boy I had high expectations.  Written by Ross Willis (Wolfie), directed by Olivier Award winning Sally Cookson (A Monster Calls, Peter Pan), and the winner of The Writers Guild Award 2023 for best play is enough to get anyone intrigued, this coupled with the delicate subject matter meant I was eager to experience first-hand the powerful performances I had heard about and I wasn’t disappointed. 

Wonder Boy delivers a powerful message to everyone about the significance of communication, the role communication plays in our lives and how, when communication is hindered, it can lead to frustration, isolation and loneliness.  The use of movement, facial expressions, sound, lighting and extremely clever captioning encompasses inclusivity in a unique way, and we are treated to a journey which is heartwarming. poignant and hilarious.

Ross Willis’ brilliant writing transports us to an inner-city school where f-bomb expletives are a plenty from both the students and the teachers.  Hilson Agbangbe makes his confident professional debut playing Sonny, a twelve year old boy navigating the innumerous challenges faced by young people growing up.  However, Sonny has an additional challenge, he has a stammer and Wonder Boy is a heart-felt exploration of the challenges he is facing.  

We are taken on a journey through a snapshot of Sonny’s life, he has been cast in his school production of Hamlet and to be a success he is going to have to overcome his stammer and learn to speak more fluently.  We experience Sonny’s difficulties in communicating and forming connections with the various individuals around him, both the figures of authority and his peers.  We are invited to share in how he navigates these interpersonal relationships.

Sonny has a childhood superhero imaginary friend whom he created through his hand drawn comic books which are very precious to him.  Captain Chatter, played by Ciaran O’Breen (Lord of the Flies, Can Bears Ski), appears to have been a lifeline for Sonny historically, but as Sonny tries to battle his stammer and make a success of his role in Hamlet, it is possible that Captain Chatter is now holding him back.

From the onset the strong connection between Sonny and Captain Chatter is immediately apparent.  Their synchronised, elegant gesture and movement emphasises their strong bond which goes further than words.  This is relevant and poignant since despite Captain Chatter suggesting a particularly talkative character, he is silent throughout. 

Sonny’s communication difficulties become obvious to us when he is asked to say his name and clearly struggles, stopping on the letter ‘S’ and not getting much further.  Hilson Agbangbe’s powerful performance succeeds in immediately making us empathise with Sonny’s battle, creating an instant connection with the audience.  We feel his frustration even more so when at one point huge letters are literally piled on top of him, he is drowning in his inability to communicate.

Sonny’s new friend and aide, Roshi, played by Naia Elliott-Spence in her professional debut, makes an assured entrance. Roshi is witty, energetic, has a fabulous sense of humour and a wonderful ability to communicate. She can use words fluently, cleverly employing wordplay in stark contrast to Sonny’s lack of communication skills.  Naia Elliott-Spence’s vibrant and engaging performance captures our attention, I just can’t take my eyes off her and Roshi’s positivity is just what Sonny needs as it starts to become clear that Sonny is relying on Captain Chatter as a shield to protect himself from potential failure and from the risks of putting himself out there.

Sonny is also helped along his journey by his supportive teacher, Wainwright played by Eva Scott (Betty!: A sort of Musical, I Wanna Be Yours). Wainwright understands Sonny’s struggles more than he realises and she finds a way to communicate with Sonny, helping him to ‘sliiiiiiide’ his words.  Eva Scott skilfully explores the teacher pupil relationship. She wonderfully conveys Wainwright’s passion for connecting with and helping the kids but also her disenchantment at the limitations and bureaucracy of the school system. 

Wainwright’s passion for teaching is in clear contrast to Miss Fish, the new headteacher, played by Jessica Murrain (As You Like It, King Lear, The Sandman), who is caught up in league tables and tick boxes.  There is a theme of comic book heroes and villains throughout and it appears Miss Fish is a villain.  I feel the cat loving Miss Fish is a somewhat harsh and perhaps at times, unfair representation of senior leadership within the school system but she does represent the extreme and her exaggerated mannerisms are at times very funny which is due to the fabulous timing of Jessica Murrain and her unwavering energy. 

Jessica Murrain also plays the role of Sonny’s Mum, the tenderness she gives the character makes her relationship with Sonny particularly heartbreaking and powerful, highlighting that this is also a story of loss and grief.

Ciaran O’Breen along with movement director Laila Diallo (Oliver Twist, ABBA Voyage) wonderfully convey Captain Chatter’s feelings through beautiful and captivating movement which is also aided by quick, smart captioning by Caption and Video Designer Tom Newell.  The bright dynamic captions play a crucial role in the storytelling and go far beyond serving as subtitles.  Katie Sykes’ set, cleverly transports us to a variety of locations and with the help of Aideen Malone’s lighting also incorporates the crucial screen surrounded by a neon light, looking like a comic book frame.  It is this screen which comes to life throughout the performance with interesting, dynamic, colourful text and pictures with the added bonus of a comic book ‘kapow’ here and there.  The characters interact with the captions and pictures and the timing of these innumerable cues was excellent.

Wonder Boy is a fast-paced story, at 100 minutes with no interval it has a powerful impact.  It is full of heart and humour where you find yourself laughing one minute and crying the next but more importantly it is an intelligent exploration of all types of communication.  As I left the theatre and had time to ponder, I was left contemplating the communication skills I take for granted each day.

WE SCORE WONDER BOY...