★★★★★

(am I allowed to give it 6?)

Some shows are a fun night out at the theatre. Some are fun but also make you think.

Some shows are a ‘once and done’. Some make you get your phone out in the interval and have a look to see when you can rebook.

I let you decide which of these categories I thought this show belongs to.

The Little Big Things is a new musical with music by Nick Butcher, lyrics by Nick Butcher and Tom Ling, and book by Joe White. It is based on the best selling memoir of Henry Fraser, a mouth artist and inspirational speaker. At the age of 17, this rugby-mad teenager went on holiday to Portugal with his two older brothers where a freak accident in the sea left him paralysed from the neck down. A single moment – a sliding doors moment – and his life is changed forever.

Cleve September, Alasdair Harvey, Jonny Aimes, Jamie Chatterton, Linzi Hateley, and Jordan Benjamin

The show opens with Henry – post-accident – and we are then taken back to 2009 with Henry – pre-accident – and his brothers deciding to go to Portugal. It takes us through the events of that trip, Henry’s subsequent time in hospital, and both him and his family coming to terms with the new life he now has.

So yes, we have two Henrys. Wheelchair using actor, Ed Larkin plays Henry post-accident, and Jonny Amies plays Henry pre-accident. This device of having both actors on stage together almost throughout the show is the driving force of the show. Henry is haunted by his past and the possible direction that is life could have gone. Henry has to accept what has happened to him and realise that just because his life is not what it planned doesn’t mean that it doesn’t has to stop. Both actors compliment each other. Jonny Amies is a convincing 17 year old, full of energy and an incredible voice. Ed Larkin’s Henry is as restrained as Jonny’s Henry is exuberant. Confined to his wheelchair he is trying to find a new way to be himself.

Ed Larkin as Henry

Linzi Hateley and Alasdair Harvey play Fran and Andrew, Henry’s parents. The accident forces them to face a relationship where they had started to drift apart and Fran especially feels the pressure of keeping the family together. Linzi Hateley’s rendition of ‘One to Seventeen’ is one of the show stopping – and heart breaking – moments and I defy any parent to listen to it, not identify with it, and most likely shed a tear or two.

The rest of the Fraser family consists of Cleve September as Will, Jamie Chatterton as Tom, and Jordan Benjamin as Dom. In situations like this the siblings are often forgotten but here we see how they are impacted.

Gracie McGonigal as Katie

@sohoplace is in the round (or square) and the set design by Colin Richmond makes clever use of the space ensuring that none of the set blocks the audience’s view from any of the four sides. The floor of the stage utilises video designed by Luke Halls. Sometimes video used like this can dominate and distract (think BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing) but it does not do that here. Combined with lighting (designed by Howard Hudson) we were able to travel inside Henry’s mind, to his back garden, to the outside of the hospital, to the beach, the vivid colours reflecting those that he would eventually put down on canvas as he started to paint.

The Company

Choreographer Mark Smith is deaf and his choreography was one of the standout elements for me. With two wheelchair performers in the cast, this was never going to be a show with a kick line chorus. Use of BSL enables all performers on stage to contribute to the choreography, and I have to give special mention to the inclusion of BSL in ‘The World is Waiting’ – truly inclusive and a moment that will stay with me for a long time.

Director Luke Shepherd (and Associate Director Nickie Miles-Wilden) bring everything together without producing a ‘worthy’ piece. Rather than presenting us with the traditional inspirational story about disability, we have a show which tells the reality. Of course it is inspirational, but it is so much more than that. It speaks of the reluctance to reconcile with events and accept that you need to move on and see where your new life will take you. Of course they have a head start in this task as Joe White’s book splendidly navigates the pitfalls that may often occur when telling a story like this. At no point do we feel pity for Henry. Yes, we feel for his situation, but the book never allows itself to wallow.

Ultimately this is a story of family and connections. As Nickie Miles-Wilden says in the programme: ‘this isn’t a story where the non-disabled characters are moved by the central disabled character. It’s a story … where everyone has to adapt to Henry’s new reality and way of life.’

Amy Trigg as Agnes

‘Disabled isn’t a swear word.’

So says Agnes, Henry’s physiotherapist (played amazingly by Amy Trigg, with some of the best lines of dialogue in the show – and, let’s be honest, practically steals the show whenever she is on stage). She helps him (and his mum) understand that yes, ‘shit happens’, but you can’t let that stop you from achieving. Even if what you achieve is not what you thought you were going to. You have to let the past go and move on. This show is about Henry doing just that.

With four physically disabled cast members, plus disabilities in the creative team, this is a show created with heart, to tell a story that is joyous and sad, that is authentic, and will hit you hard. You will most likely cry, but they won’t be tears of pity for Henry and his life.

The other thing that hit me was the realisation that @sohoplace is the only theatre in London that can actually accommodate the wheelchair actors in this show. We talk about accessibility in our theatres, but we tend to focus on the audience. Putting in wheelchair spaces in the auditorium is relatively simple. For disabled performers wanting to enter the profession it is a whole other hurdle.

We are seeing more representation on stage (the other show I have seen at this venue was As You Like It which wonderfully incorporated BSL. When I look at shows like this, as a disabled performer myself, I see hope for the future.

Do whatever you can to buy a ticket for The Little Big Things – but do leave another one for me so that I can go back! This is theatre doing what it does best. This is the show to see if you need a reminder of the magic that we can weave on stage and in the audience. This is my show of the year.

The Little Big Things is playing at @sohoplace until 25th November 2023. Tickets available here – https://sohoplace.org/whats-on/the-little-big-things

Photos © Pamela Raith