MickeyJoTheatre Podcast: Teeth 'n' Smiles (Duke of York's Theatre, West End) - ★★★★ REVIEW

Host: MickeyJoTheatre
Episode Date: March 28, 2026

Main Theme

In this episode, theatre critic MickeyJo reviews the 50th anniversary West End production of David Hare’s Teeth ‘n’ Smiles at the Duke of York’s Theatre. He unpacks the play’s historical context, contemporary resonance, central performance by pop star Self Esteem (Rebecca Lucy Taylor), and the creative team’s choices, all while dissecting why this wild, messy play about rock ‘n’ roll still feels relevant now.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Background and Context

• Play Origins:
  • Written by David Hare, first premiered at Royal Court Theatre, London, in 1975.
  • This is its 50th anniversary revival.
  • Originally starred Dame Helen Mirren as Maggie Frisbee.
• Production Notes:
  • Star: Rebecca Lucy Taylor (Self Esteem) in the lead role.
  • Producers: Wessex Grove (with their signature small, red playbill).
• Relevance:
  • “It feels so much like a chapter of its own era... And yet, the world being as cyclical and inevitable as it is, it's interesting how much this play... has to say about where society is right now.” (04:40)

2. Synopsis and Thematic Overview

• Setting:
  • 1969, Jesus College, Cambridge, during the May Ball.
• Plot Highlights:
  • Band (Maggie Frisbee & the Skins) arrives 90 minutes late.
  • Chaotic, self-destructive night unfolds as they prepare to perform while unraveling.
  • Recurring motif: revolutionary fatigue — 1960s optimism decaying into 1970s cynicism.
  • "The social revolution of the 1960s is beginning to wane... characters are experiencing what I would characterize as revolutionary fatigue." (05:37)
• Narrative Style:
  • “Familiar of late night, inebriated, smoking area conversations in which it's hard to tell if... profound and insightful... or utterly vapid and meaningless.” (05:09)
  • Interwoven personal frustrations, disconnection, and search for meaning.

3. Design, Direction & Creative Choices

• Direction: Daniel Raggett
  • “Holds these ideas of chaos and comfort... an environment of self-destruction... this feeling of community and internal support that seems to expire when the going gets tough.” (23:54)
• Set Design: Chloe Lamford
  • “Deep and... has walls... only a couple points of entry and exit... hiding places... characters can sort of lurk in the background.” (23:54)
• Lighting: Matt Dore
  • "Atmospheric and complex... you have the rock concert performance... cold and uncompromising... the uncomfortable clarity that [late-night] time affords." (24:42)
• Music:
  • Live band onstage, playing instruments; composed by Nick & Tony Paquette.
  • Self Esteem contributes an original song: “It’s just captivating... a lyric that she lives inside... really bears her soul.” (16:34)
  • Sound Design: Ben & Max Ringham.
• Costumes: Alex Mullen
  • “1970s costuming, whether it's deliberately flamboyant stage outfits or just the casual attire of the time, it's gorgeous to look at.” (26:29)

4. Performance Highlights

• Rebecca Lucy Taylor as Maggie Frisbee:
  • “A staggering performance... an extraordinary theater actress in the making.” (15:05)
  • "Her character is this kind of an active volcano in asymmetrical tights, harboring this blazing frustration that could go off at any moment..." (15:59)
  • “She bursts onto the stage in this wraparound, heavily fringed peach dress... thigh high tiger print boots. She’s something of a wild, untamable jungle cat herself.” (09:45)
  • Authenticity: “Completely genuine, hugely naturalistic... so believable and so heartfelt... spontaneous.” (15:20)
  • “It feels inevitable that she was eventually going to arrive at stage performance in this kind of way, because she's so bloody good at it." (15:40)
• Supporting Roles:
  • Phil Daniels as Seraphian (Manager):
    • “Extraordinary sort of Thenardier in the Blitz kind of anecdote monologue in the second act... the stuff of dropped pins.” (17:59)
  • Michael Fox as Arthur (Songwriter):
    • “Spends most of the play looking for Maggie or sharing loaded, emotionally meaningful exchanges about... the people they have each now become.” (18:35)
  • Aisha Carla as Laura (Old Friend/Bandmate):
    • “Exists in many corners of this script to exemplify a lot of the overt misogyny of this era and this industry.” (19:41)
  • Samuel Jordan as Smeggs (Guitarist):
    • “Really shines... this real, genuine frustration.” (21:02)
  • Jojo Makkari as Peyote (Bassist):
    • “Considerably more off his face than Maggie... mostly funny hysteria.” (20:22)
  • Roman Asda as Anson (Student Organizer):
    • “Seems sort of fundamentally changed by his exposure to the group.” (20:38)

5. Memorable Moments & Observations

• “There is actually fire on stage... this is sex and drugs and rock and roll, and for one brief moment, a real life Alsatian.” (02:21)
• “They share competitively boring trivia, contemplate the offer of blowjobs, and critically do not seem to react to the chaos unfolding for their lead singer...” (08:44)
• “Only by literally setting fire to the whole thing and then trying to have sex amongst the blades, have they finally experienced... meaningful release, some powerful metaphorical work.” (21:09)
• On the play’s existential question:
  • “Is what we’re doing even really rock and roll anymore?” (08:31)
  • “I don’t know how to be happy in a world that is growing ever more complicated.” (08:36)

6. Comparisons and Reflections

• Parallels drawn to Stereophonic (American play):
  • Shared “low stakes cold open,” focus on band’s internal drama.
  • “But here, there's... a lot more to do with their frustrations with the entire world, with society, and the little satisfaction that each of them is able to gain.” (10:49)
• Host’s reaction:
  • “I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. I enjoyed digesting it and considering it even more. This is the most thought I think I've had to give a play in quite some time.” (05:03)
  • “It's a little more dissatisfying [than Stereophonic]... a lot about character as well as the gradual instilling of this real sense of emptiness and despair.” (19:59)

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps & Attribution)

• “Revolutionary fatigue, having spent years performing the same riotous anthems of rebellion and affecting scarcely any social change…parity with where we are now, at a moment of real political indifference and fatigue.”
  — MickeyJo, (05:37)

• “Her character is this kind of an active volcano in asymmetrical tights, harboring this blazing frustration that could go off at any moment like unexploded shrapnel. And yet, beneath and behind and beyond all of that passion and rage... there is such a profoundly vulnerable quality as well.”
  — MickeyJo, (15:59)

• “It's as much a depiction on this soul crushing, scarcely rewarding rock and roll touring lifestyle as it is a larger commentary.”
  — MickeyJo, (11:31)

• “The best quality of her work in this play is the spontaneity of it all and the truth of it all, and these unspoken micro expressions and responses to the dialogue...”
  — MickeyJo, (16:53)

• “It’s the nights that she can’t wait to get on the stage that you have to watch out for.”
  — (Line from play, cited by MickeyJo), (09:16)

• "The people who keep having to sing the songs that they no longer believe in."
  — MickeyJo, (27:39)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Context: (02:21–04:31)
• Plot and Themes Explained: (05:03–10:49)
• Design & Creative Team: (23:54–26:55)
• Performance Reviews: (14:16–22:18)
• Reflections, Parallels, Final Thoughts: (26:55–end)

Tone & Final Recommendation

MickeyJo’s review is enthusiastic, thoughtful, and slightly irreverent — mirroring the messy, chaotic spirit of the play itself. He finds the production strikingly “cool, edgy, dark, accessible, but thought provoking,” and strongly singles out Rebecca Lucy Taylor’s performance for future award attention.

“A powerhouse performance from Rebecca Lucy Taylor, one which I still think we're going to be talking about come next Olivier Awards season.” (27:34)

Bottom Line

Teeth ‘n’ Smiles at the Duke of York’s is an energetic, darkly comic, and surprisingly prescient return for a play that channels rock ‘n’ roll’s fading utopian dream. With vivid creative choices, an authentic live band, and a star-making central performance, it’s recommended both as a period piece and for its reflections on contemporary burnout and disillusionment.

Go and check it out for yourself.