Cruise

Jack Holden’s one-man play Cruise initially appeared as a digital production filmed at Shoreditch Town Hall and streamed earlier this year to critical acclaim. As a piece of online theatre, it provided a parallel chapter of sorts to Russell T Davies’ exceptional Channel 4 drama It’s a Sin.

Cruise follows the story of Mikey and his partner Dave, who are both diagnosed with HIV in 1984 and given four years to live. The pair decide to go out with a bang, spending all their money to party their lives away. Dave dies after two years but Mikey remains focused on the hedonistic, drug-fuelled swansong they had planned. Framed by a device that explores the often fragmented, cross-generational divide within the gay community, Cruise is a meaty, gloriously theatrical writing debut.

When Nimax Theatres planned to reopen six of its theatres at a reduced capacity, chief executive Nica Burns offered the Cruise producers an opportunity to mount a live version of the play in the West End. Thankfully, the production transfers to the stage smoothly, although a proscenium arch theatre might not be its obvious home.

Holden manages to conjure up such a vivid picture of Soho in the 1980s that we are almost transported to clubland. Composer John Elliott, a shadowy presence on stage throughout, has created a diverse and emotive soundtrack to accompany the story. Elliott samples the sounds and rhythms of the decade to create a wholly original score that is the beating heart of this story.

Elliott’s soundtrack drives the play but it’s the richness of Holden’s narrative that grabs our attention. His story, like the music, is familiar but told with remarkable freshness and flair. Characters range from acidic young queens terrorising Old Compton Street to bar staff offering care and compassion.

The most articulately drawn character, however, is Soho itself – a mixture of seedy cinemas, private clubs and haven to a burgeoning gay community. A brief but transformative journey to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern changes the pace of the story and an urgency kicks in, leading to the piece’s gut-wrenching climax.

It’s a monologue of almost epic physical and emotional agility and a Herculean task for any performer. Robust direction from Bronagh Lagan ensures that Holden stays on track, keeping the pace tight but managing to capture the light and shade from each and every character. The conclusion might be a little neat or a tad sentimental, but for a debut author this remains an articulate, flamboyant piece that readily deserves this all-too-brief run in the West End.

This opportunity marks a West End debut not just for the author Holden, but also the producers Katy Lipson at Aria Entertainment and Lambert Jackson. If Burns’ intention was to allow new voices to tell their stories in the West End, then Cruise more than meets the brief.