Wonder Boy takes to the stage at Wolverhampton Grand as part of its UK tour and it is a delightfully emotional rollercoaster of a show that guarantees to tug on your heart strings. This new play, written by Ross Willis, follows the life of schoolboy Sonny and shows the way his stammer shapes his experiences, friendships, and interactions with teachers in the lead up to a school production of Hamlet, rethinking the way we communicate and connect with those around us. Wonder Boy focuses mainly on Sonny’s experiences at secondary school, whilst also delving into the lives of supporting characters Roshi and Wainwright, both of whom bring depth, grit and humour to the stage.

Willis’ script is in safe hands under the fine direction of Sally Cookson who most certainly creates a vivid theatrical treat upon the stage as part of Wonder Boy. During last night’s performance, understudy Samir Mahat gave an electric performance to the lead character Sonny, bringing huge sensitivity to performing a stutter. Naia Elliott-Spence’s characterisation of Roshi brings incredible humour and heaps of energy, giving a highly authentic portrayal of a secondary school student, from spot on mannerisms to fabulous line delivery throughout particularly in her entertaining recount of the Hamlet plotline.

The entire tight-knit cast of five actors bring their own individual flair to their characterisations. Eva Scott’s performance as teacher Wainwright balances humour and emotional maturity, brilliantly supporting Sonny by creating a safe space for him whilst exploring deeper issues of her own struggles and highlighting flaws within the school system. The highly physicalised character of Captain Chatter, played by Ciaran O’Breen, is another important addition to the stage showing the powerful breadth of non-verbal communication through BSL and fingerspelling, externalising Sonny’s inner thoughts throughout Wonder Boy. Jessica Murrain’s multi-roling as Mum and Fish creates a counterpoint to Sonny’s safe space in Wainwright’s office. Murrain adds a villainous quality to the role of headteacher Fish whilst sprinkling in plenty of humour to keep audiences engaged, balancing seriousness with heightened silliness.

Willis remarks that the intention for this show was he ‘wanted to write something that could only ever be a piece of theatre. [he] wanted it to be inherently theatrical’. It is fair to say Willis goes above and beyond in achieving this goal, drawing on every element of theatre from creative lighting choices, powerful use of projections, physicalised movement sequences and so much more to create magic on the stage in a way that is entirely unique to the medium of live performance. The use of physicality and highly stylised moments were effectively utilised throughout the show. The most striking example was how giant pink letters gradually surround Sonny during a moment he has to speak aloud and introduce himself to his peers at drama club creating a powerfully clear representation on how he feels trapped by words.

Katie Syke’s striking set design instantly intrigues audiences to the non-naturalistic elements of Wonder Boy and there is an inherent playfulness in the multi-functionality of the set to explore various locations throughout the storyline. Syke’s vision has a quality similar to the work of Bunny Christie; whilst there is a slight resemblance to The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Syke’s design is incredibly unique and uses a large asymmetrical box at the heart of the design. She is an incredibly skilled designer who supports Willis’ vision with flair, originality and creativity.

What is so uniquely important about Wonder Boy is the way it reconsiders how elements of theatre can be repurposed to breathe life into accessible possibilities for cast and audience alike. The show employs creative captioning through projecting dialogue onto the back screen, making the storyline easy to follow and enhancing the narrative. Tom Newell (Limbic Cinema) is responsible for caption and video design and does a stellar job. The result is simultaneously accessible, engaging, and creative, utilising colour and illustration to be at once artistically appealing and highly functional for the desired purpose of accessibility.

With such a range of engaging and experimental uses of theatrical design at the heart of the show, it is no surprise that this highly emotional and deeply accessible storyline is Winner of the 2023 Writers’ Guild Award for Best Play. An experimental, creative, and deeply emotional production that brings a heartwarming story to the stage.

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: Heidi Downing

Wonder Boy plays at Wolverhampton Grand until 5 October before continuing its tour. Further info can be found here.