MickeyJoTheatre Podcast Summary

Episode: A London Play Review Roundup

Date: February 24, 2026
Host: Mickey Jo (MickeyJoTheatre)

Episode Overview

In this engaging roundup episode, Mickey Jo takes listeners through detailed, passionate reviews of four diverse London plays he’s recently seen: Shadowlands, Deep Azure, Guess How Much I Love You, and Man and Boy. With warmth and candor, he explores their themes, scripts, performances, and staging, offering both emotional responses and critical insights throughout the marathon. Grief is a recurring thread in this selection, though each play tackles it uniquely.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Shadowlands (William Nicholson, Old Witch Theatre)

[01:25 – 09:20]

• Premise & Focus: This production follows C.S. Lewis (Hugh Bonneville) and Joy Davidman (Maggie Siff), zooming in on their late-in-life romance. The story is “very much focused on one chapter” rather than Lewis’s full life.
• Thematic Exploration:
  • Grief, love, suffering, and theology, including Lewis’s faith crisis, underpins the drama.
  • Title “Shadowlands” refers both to Christian notions of mortality as a precursor to paradise and to Lewis's personal state following Joy's illness.
• Production Notes:
  • Mickey notes a dated feel and that misogyny among Lewis’s Oxford friends isn’t well challenged.
  • While charming and affecting—especially with the subtle culture clash between an "emotionally overt American" and "very repressed Brit"—it may resonate more with an older crowd.
  • The staging subtly hints at Narnia (“There’s a lamppost on stage, for crying out loud.”), but Mickey wishes for bolder symbolic choices.
• Performance:
  • High praise for Hugh Bonneville—“He is very much at the wheel of a car he absolutely knows how to drive”—and for Maggie Siff’s radiance and emotional depth.
• Quotable Moment:
  • “This feels like a perfectly charming Sunday afternoon piece of theatre. It is ultimately quite moving and thoughtfully staged by director Rachel Cavanagh…” —Mickey Jo [08:20]
• Potential Limitations:
  • Non-fans of Lewis might struggle with context or exposition; some narrative pacing feels rushed.

2. Deep Azure (Chadwick Boseman, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe)

[10:27 – 23:03]

• Premiere Context:
  • UK premiere of Chadwick Boseman’s early-2000s verse play.
  • Set in the atmospheric, candle-lit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse—“intimate and there is scarcely any artificial lighting.”
• Form & Influences:
  • Entirely in lyrical verse, nodding to Shakespeare; elements of chorus and tragedy reminiscent of Hamlet and even 90’s musical theatre like Rent.
  • Dips a toe into musical territory (“begin to poke at the idea of hip hop opera, which would subsequently emerge in Hamilton and In the Heights”).
• Plot & Themes:
  • Revolves around Deep (shot by police pre-play) and grieving girlfriend Azure, who battles not just for justice but also with her own sense of self and body image.
  • Tackles grief, identity collapse, police brutality, and disordered eating—“which could almost be its own entire play.”
• Staging & Direction:
  • Directed by Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu, uses the playhouse’s candlelit limitations to explore darkness and sorrow, though Mickey notes the warmth sometimes “flew in the face” of desired atmosphere.
  • Futuristic chorus presentation felt muddled, though “as soon as we get... to the performance of Selena Jones, then... we are particularly captivated.”
• Performance:
  • Selena Jones is cited for her “intensely powerful” portrayal of Azure.
• Quotable Moments:
  • “There is, I think, so much richness in this piece and it's a sad reminder of the extraordinary talent that Chadwick Boseman had, yes, as an actor, but also as a playwright...” —Mickey Jo [22:01]
• Overall Impression:
  • Ambitious, uneven, gorgeously written—“I think it was deeply ahead of its time.”
  • Wonders how it might work in a contemporary, more technologically equipped venue.

3. Guess How Much I Love You (Luke Norris, Royal Court Theatre)

[23:32 – 24:05]

• Clarification:
  • Not an adaptation of the children’s book, but an adult drama about two parents’ relationship after a difficult pregnancy scan.
• Writing & Revelation:
  • Praises script for “tangible power in what is left unspoken,” with emotionally raw, honest, and “ugly truth” moments at the heart.
• Emotional Weight:
  • Focuses on grief, tested relationships, and the uncertainty of continued togetherness—“is it impossible now for the two of them to carry on without holding the other's hand, or does that actually make it harder?”
• Performance:
  • Rosie Sheehy delivers an “unforgettable” monologue, while Robert Aramayo’s emotional unraveling provides real heartbreak.
  • “She feels very much at the height of her theatrical powers here. She is fantastic in this role.” —Mickey Jo [22:55]
• Production Aspects:
  • Directed by Jeremy Heron, minimalist, scene-focused staging emphasizes emotional waiting—“waiting for a medical professional to come back into the room... fosters a sort of expectation in us.”
• Unpredictability:
  • Praises the play’s power to shock and surprise—“the unpredictability factor... is one of its assets.”
• Overall Impression:
  • “This was a knockout piece of theatre, which I hope more people have the chance to experience.”
  • Encourages remounting or transfer.

4. Man and Boy (Terence Rattigan, Dorfman Theatre at the National)

[24:05 – 33:54]

• Background:
  • Mickey’s first Rattigan; themes of business, family, and sexuality.
• Plot & Themes:
  • Takes place in 1930s NYC, post-Wall Street crash.
  • Relationship between corrupt financier Gregor Antonescu and estranged son Basil (“the queer subtext... is simply text”).
  • First act strong—power struggles, manipulation, sexual tension, and changing alliances.
• Staging & Design:
  • Directed by Anthony Lau with staging “in the round, but sort of principally in Traverse,” using minimalist office furniture to represent status and control.
  • Notable design feature: wall listing character and actor names, which light up as each enters, creating “anticipation.”
• Performances:
  • Ben Daniels (Gregor Antonescu) praised—“an epic feat of charisma. Seductive and insidious and as passionate in victory as he is in defeat.”
  • Laurie Kynaston (Basil) also highlighted, especially in the first act.
• Critique:
  • Second act weaker—“I suddenly not only didn't know who these people were or why they ought to feel this way towards each other… can’t reconcile them with the versions of themselves [from] twenty minutes before.”
• Quotable Moment:
  • “But Ben Daniel's performance in this was quite the epic feat of charisma. Seductive and insidious and as passionate in victory as he is in defeat.” —Mickey Jo [32:20]
• Overall Impression:
  • “A stylish piece of theatre I thoroughly enjoyed and exactly the caliber that I expect from the National Theatre.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On empathy through theatre: "You can go and see a piece of theatre which scarcely mirrors your own life experience, but nonetheless you can feel so connected to it and affected by it." —Mickey Jo [01:25]
• On ‘Shadowlands’ and grief: "Once he has known this extraordinary love... the prospect of a world without her suddenly becomes just the Shadowlands, a world robbed of color and meaning." [05:20]
• On the uniqueness of ‘Deep Azure’: "This was written by the late actor Chadwick Boseman... and it was deeply ahead of its time. It reminded me a little, obviously Chadwick Boseman lived for a great many years after this was first written, even though I'm now encountering it after his death." [10:50]
• On Rosie Sheehy’s performance in ‘Guess How Much I Love You’: "She has one particular visceral monologue that is going to be unforgettable for me, I think, for a very long time." [22:55]
• On minimalism and expectation in ‘Guess How Much I Love You’: "As the narrative progresses, it fosters a sort of an expectation in us of the story that we are then expecting to see. And there are these sort of prolonged moments of blackout in between scene changes as we anticipate what it is we're going to be looking at..." [21:45]
• On power dynamics in ‘Man and Boy’: "So much was done with chairs and tables to exact ideas of power and authority... visually suggesting a power struggle to us through height and stature atop these things that we associate with business deals and meetings." [26:40]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening reflections and play introductions: [01:25]
• Review – Shadowlands: [01:30 – 09:20]
• Review – Deep Azure: [10:27 – 23:03]
• Review – Guess How Much I Love You: [23:32 – 24:05]
• Review – Man and Boy: [24:05 – 33:54]
• Final roundup and closing encouragement: [33:54]

Conclusion

Mickey Jo’s review marathon is a heartfelt, insightful journey through four notable (and often emotionally heavy) plays gracing London in 2026. His signature warmth, sharp eye for performance and production details, and relatable theatre-lover’s candor make for an enriching summary of what’s shaping current conversations in theatre. For anyone considering which show is right for them—or simply seeking a taste of what’s live on London stages—this episode is a must-listen (or, with this summary, a must-read).