Review - Build A Rocket - Wonderville, London

Build A Rocket - Wonderville, London

Walking into the auditorium you notice a young woman perched on a chair to the side of a small, almost empty stage with just a microphone on a stand breaking up the sparse set. The woman occasionally glances around the room at the audience taking their seats before retreating into her thoughts.

As the show begins, the woman, Yasmin (Shannon Rewcroft), rises to her feet and begins to tell us her story which unfolds over the course of the next hour from the news of her teenage pregnancy to the birth and early life of her son.

As a one-woman show, Shannon Rewcroft needs to draw and hold your attention throughout which she does with ease.  Jordan Langford’s direction is subtle but effective and sees Yasmin engaging with the audience before retreating to the cocoon of the stage or belting out a few lines of a favourite song into the microphone.

The script by Christopher York manages to tread the fine line between what could easily have been a story worth of pity or shame to one that, whilst raw and frank, is nonetheless ultimately positive and warming. There were elements of the play that reminded me of Iphigenia in Splott but whilst that was intense, dark and at times disturbing, in Christopher’s play and Shannon’s performance instead we’re sympathetic and non-judgemental, appreciating the honest and openness of Yasmin and her story.

At the end of the show, I found myself wishing Yasmin all the best for the future and grateful for sharing her story, what could have been a thoroughly depressing show instead shared optimism and fortitude in the face of challenges.

This show was reviewed on the 22nd May 2023.  Details of further shows can be found here: Build a Rocket 2023 | Linktree

***** stars

Mike Stocks

Join Mike every Monday at 9am for 'The Best of Stage and Screen' here on Box Office Radio

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Photo credit: Danny Kaan