Ever heard of hitchhiking? An unlikely encounter on the side of the M6 is what opens Northbound Boy, a new queer comedy by James Hogan, making its premiere at the recently-opened King's Head Theatre.
The show opens with nineteen year-old Rory, dressed military style with a sizeable rucksack, meeting forty three year-old Ken, a police officer, over a Costa at the services. There is obvious tension between the two as Ken, though off-duty, raises suspicion over the young adult loitering by the roadside, requesting a lift to Blackpool under the guise of a new job.
Giving the late teen benefit of the doubt, the newfound friends (soon revealed to be a bit more) drive off into the dark, that is, until the road trip takes a hiatus at Ken's Lancashire family home as Rory is - proving the policeman's concerns right - being under heavy influence of drugs.
Slowly but steadily, the narrative explores each character's background in more depth, revealing the troubled pasts as well as parallels between both men, most predominantly their tense family relationships; for Ken, the conflict extends to the relationship between his father and aunt Ivy over himself being rejected from the family as a homosexual.
Within the space of a single act, there is a fair amount of exposition that happens before the context and backstory of the trio starts to form a full picture. Hogan keeps the tone casual and lighthearted as reflected in the early interactions between the men, but this gradually shifts once the conversation engages more serious topics, giving insight into the real-life difficulty faced by some in the LGBT+ community, sometimes further catalysed by substance abuse.
Though being a three-hander, the cast fully utilises the intimate thrust performance space with attention-catching performances. Cormac Hyde-Corrin, best known for his performance in Heartstopper, captures the youthful spirit of Rory, filled with unmistakably British slang. He creates hilarious chemistry with Neil Ashton, who handles the complexities of Ken with great care. The company is completed by Sarah Moyles in the role of Ivy, delivering beautiful monologues that loops back into the central idea of acceptance and forgiveness.
On Cory Shipp's countryside-inspired set design, there are meaningful discussions in the context of generational dynamics through the eyes of three seemingly separate characters; these discussions might be prolonged and sometimes go in unexpected directions - much like this roadtrip on the M6 - but loose ends are tied at the end through the timely use of comedic relief. So whilst hitchhikers might be an uncommon sight for most, the universal themes of love and connection in all their forms remain highly relatable.
Northbound Boy plays at King’s Head Theatre until 1st September. For more information and to book tickets, visit the venue website.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (3*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Charles Flint
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