REVIEW: Wonder Boy

Being on the cusp of teenage years is often difficult enough without adding a whole host of other challenges facing 12-year-old Sonny.

We meet him as he joins a new school, shadowed by his imaginary friend, Captain Chatter – a superhero of his own creation. Chatting is his super-power because it is the one thing Sonny wishes he could do. He has become so isolated by his stammer that he would rather go hungry at lunchtime than have to tell a dinner lady what he wants to eat.

He communicates through hitting out, which is how he ends up sitting outside the deputy head’s office where he meets loud-mouth Roshi who has talk enough for the whole school. The pair, both misunderstood in different ways, form a comical and at times touching bond.

Wainwright, the no nonsense deputy head, recognises and reaches out to the misfit in them both through a series of fast-paced and at times emotive conversations. But just when it looks like there could be a breakthough for Sonny, the bombastic head teacher hands him his worst nightmare – a speaking part in the school production of Hamlet.

Will Captain Chatter come to the rescue? Not likely. This isn’t a comic book, even if the staging looks like one. Sonny will need to learn to get through school and life on his own – with a little help from his real friends, of course.

Ross Willis’ comic and sweary script captures the banter of the school yard and the attention of the largely young audience. Katie Sykes staging uses a static two-level set that keeps the action tight while bursting with colour. Director Sally Cookson keeps the pace fast, bringing the story to life in inventive and accessible ways, with live captions on a neon framed screen incorporated into the set.

The five-strong cast fizz with energy. Ciaran O’Breen as Captain Chatter impresses from the start with his dancing eye-brows. Jessica Murrain plays both the bullying, cat-loving head teacher as well as Sonny’s Mum, switching from almost pantomime villain screeching to heart-wrenching tenderness. Eva Scott brings both dry humour and warmth to disillusioned teacher, Wainwright. Hilson Agbangbe as Sonny and Naia Elliott-Spence as Roshi are both making their professional debuts in this production. Their performances are both lively and vulnerable, hitting the perfect note for this story.

There are some great comic moments, such as Roshi’s irreverent synopsis of Hamlet, and sadness too as Sonny reveals more about his life at home. But while this rollercoaster of a play doesn’t shy from some of life’s harsh realities, overall the experience is energising and uplifting. Teenagers and adults alike will love it.