Death of England : Michael
After a long and at times arduous journey from The National Theatre – the trio of ‘Death of England: The Plays’ are being given their time to shine, together. In a feat of programming @sohoplace is home to these intense pieces, which all stand alone as masterpieces of theatre while also intertwining their stories and characters making this feel like a series where you don’t want to miss the next part.
First up is ‘Michael’, a story of a man struggling with the grief of losing his father and trying to learn more about himself in the process, learning what about himself was taught to him by his father, and what about himself is him. ‘Michael’ at its core is a story of changing perceptions, realising things aren’t always as they look on the surface and how we deal with that as humans.
Thomas Coombes plays the role of Michael, for 100 intense minutes he controls the entire space with ease and holds the audience in the palm of his hand throughout. Thomas has fully understood the text he has been presented with. He fantastically multi-roles, being all parts of every conversation and bringing a different physicality to each character we meet. Writers Clint Dyer and Roy Williams have beautifully brought these characters to life, they have clearly spent time around these people, with every nuance of human interaction perfectly played out. It is raw, harrowing and ultimately real. Some sections do feel a little drawn out and with some tightening it could be an even more impactful piece than it already is.
Michael is a white working class man, who has been taught the ‘others’ are all that is wrong with the world. That he is better than others purely because he was born white and though he believes this on some level – he also questions it because if that was true, why does he still feel so inadequate and down-trodden? He and his family are proud to be British, and if that means they’re racist…then that's our fault for thinking that, not theirs for being racist.
@sohoplace feels like the perfect venue for this story – being in the round it gives Thomas the opportunity to get up close and personal with the audience, at times it feels uncomfortable and intense but this only adds to the drama of the piece. Over the course of the play we see Michael unravel – his grief taking over as he looses his best friend Delroy (whom the 2nd play in this series revolves around) and family due to his evermore increasing erratic behaviour, culminating at a rambling, at times incoherent eulogy at his fathers funeral in which he spouts hatred but it’s okay because ‘it’s dad’s words…not mine’. Michael is forced to confront the man his father was, and the man he is fast becoming and decide if that’s a future he wants for himself.
The design of the show is simple and impactful from Sadeysa Greenway-Bailey and Ultz. A large red cross representing the flag of England takes centre stage, creating a catwalk style stage with various plinths and props dotted around it. The lighting is a character in itself – Jackie Shemesh and Chris Davey have put a lot of work and effort into the lighting design and it pays off wonderfully, reinforcing the impact and emotion of each scene.
This is a deep, intense play with difficult themes and language used which some may find difficult to hear. It is an important story to hear though, because if we do not hear it, we cannot learn from it.
This show was reviewed on the 30th July 2024 at @sohoplace, London where the series of three plays run until the 28th September 2024. Tickets available here: Death of England: The Plays | Tickets | @sohoplace
Review written by Rosie Browne
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Photo credit: Helen Murray
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