Review: RADIANT BOY at Southwark Playhouse Borough

Date: 23rd May 2025

Stars: 4

Some plays creep up on you quietly, but Radiant Boy doesn’t bother with that – it walks straight through the door, sits itself down, and refuses to leave your head for the rest of the night.

Set in a snowed-in house in North East England in the early 80s, this new piece by Nancy Netherwood is a curious mix of ghost story, psychological drama, and queer coming-of-age, all tangled up with grief, guilt, and music that prickles at your spine. It’s unsettling in places, moving in others, and occasionally quite funny, though the humour’s got sharp teeth.

We meet Russell, a young singer who’s fled his life in London and landed back in his mother’s house with something – someone? – lurking in his head. His mother, Maud, convinced he’s possessed, calls in a priest. But this isn’t your standard horror setup. There’s no spinning heads, no shouting in Latin – just a slow unravelling of shame, silence, and the weight of being a boy who doesn’t fit in, with a voice that won’t leave him alone.

Stuart Thompson is brilliant as Russell – nervy, brittle, and heartbreakingly sincere. He gives the sense of someone constantly on the edge of saying something huge and then swallowing it whole. Wendy Nottingham as Maud is equally strong; she doesn’t play her as cold or cruel, just worn down and scared in her own way. And Ben Allen as Father Miller is one of those characters you can’t quite pin down – is he here to help, or is he just another adult talking without really listening?

But the standout for me was Renée Lamb as the Voice. She sings like she’s channeling something ancient and aching, and it’s a clever move having the ‘haunting’ come through music. It’s less jump scare, more gut punch.

The set by Tomas Palmer is simple – a shabby living room that feels frozen in time – but the lighting (by Lucia Sanchez Roldan) and sound design (by Patch Middleton and Elinor Peregrin) really elevate things. There’s a sense of something watching from the corners, even when nothing’s moving. The use of music throughout is brilliant too – North East folk meets 80s synth, which somehow works perfectly.

If I’ve got any criticisms, it’s that the story felt like it was building to something just a touch more… well, something. The ending didn’t land as heavily as I’d hoped. It sort of slips away, rather than knocking you over. And while the atmosphere is gripping, there are moments where the script circles ideas without digging quite deep enough. A few extra scenes or even just five more minutes might’ve helped it fully stretch its legs.

But even with that, I found it fascinating. It’s refreshing to see a show about queerness, mental health, and belief that doesn’t feel like it’s trying to teach you something. It just lets you sit in the discomfort and find your own way through it. The horror here isn’t about demons or exorcisms – it’s about not being believed, not being understood, and the ache of not being able to speak out loud what you most need to say.

Radiant Boy is tender, eerie, and defiant, and well worth seeing before it disappears – just don’t expect answers. This one leaves its ghosts behind.

Radiant Boy is playing at Southwark Playhouse Borough until 14th June, and tickets are available here: https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/radiant-boy/.