LGBTQIA+ stories are becoming more and more prevalent on stage and rightly so. With a plethora of themes and topics to explore and discuss, it’s hardly surprising that so many are taking to the stage and are needed now more than ever. The Kings Head Theatre is a space that consistently champions new and upcoming work and is currently the home to Northbound Boy, written by James Hogan.

Northbound Boy is the story of forty year old Ken (Neil Ashton) and nineteen year old Rory (Cormac Hyde-Corrin) who meet at a service station. Rory, who has left home, is in desperate need to make it to Blackpool for a job interview. Ken agrees to give him a lift yet Rory seemingly only has one kind of ride on his mind. The pair travel to Ken’s recently inherited family home where we meet Aunty Ivy who has stolen the family possessions. This bad blood throws up many conversations between the three, which is explored in this 90-minute show.

The piece is built as a comedy but other than a few flitting one liners, the rest of the script is anything but funny. Meaningful themes are packed throughout the piece with not enough depth explored in each with refinement needed. Conversations between Ken and Rory are initially interesting yet seemingly predictable in the direction it is going, soon becoming stagnant. The majority of dialogue throughout lingers and seems to focus on the less important conservation rather than exploring the themes that the piece needs to.

When our third character, Aunty Ivy is introduced, it is more than half way through the piece and is desperately needed as the pacing was beginning to stall. Yet the character comes along, adds very little to the story and seems to be a hindrance to the original story between Ken and Rory. Sarah Moyle though is convincing as the catty and bitter Aunt and gives a fully rounded performance with the material she is given. Yet it somehow feels that the character could have been of greater importance if she had to be included in the story.

Cormac Hyde-Corrin marks his stage debut with an impressive performance as the cheeky yet sensitive Rory. On the surface, the portrayal initially seems very familiar given the Heartstopper role that he perhaps is most well known for but as the play progresses, shows layers within his acting abilities especially within his vulnerability opposite his co-stars. Hyde-Corrin appears the most comfortable on stage and this bodes well for his stage career.

Neil Ashton as Ken doesn’t fair aswell unfortunately. Undoubtedly talented, the portrayal comes across as nervous and awkward at times; again being let down by the material. Hardly surprising given the amount of dialogue and consistently being on stage throughout the piece, lines are stumbled across frequently only making the audience feel more on edge than they should, breaking the natural rhythm with Hyde-Cormac. The character, a suspended police officer due to homophobia in the workplace (which again is only briefly touched upon) can’t seem to grasp Rory’s drug use, almost like he is the first user he has ever seen. Unfortunately, the unconvincing main character leaves the piece susceptible to criticism. Ashton does well, however, to contrast the budding relationship with his traveller and his Aunt.

Northbound Boy boasts a talented cast but the writing leaves a lot to be desired. Slow pacing, predictable outcomes and the lack of humour in the script lets the piece down sizeably. A focus on depth within important themes such as the age difference between the two and Ken’s challenging background would move the piece forward rather than the introduction of a family feud over clocks and photographs, which is needless.

** Two stars

Reviewed by: Jordan Potts

Northbound Boy plays at the King’s Head Theatre until 1 September, with further info here.