After the Act by Billy Barrett & Elice Stevens. Music by Frew. Royal Court, Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, Sloane Square, London SW1 until 14 June 2025, 3☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.

Photo Credit: Alex Bremner.

After the Act  by Billy Barrett & Elice Stevens. Music by Frew. Royal Court, Jerwood Theatre Downstairs, Sloane Square, London SW1 until 14 June 2025,

3☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.

“Casts a long shadow.”

Performed with admirable energy by a cast of four, this musical about the impact of Section 22 of the 1988 Local Government Act on the gay community at the time has been created by Barrett and Stevens from interviews with people who suffered from its effect on the lives of gay men and women in Britain growing up at the time. It was annulled in 2003 after years of campaigning by protest groups, four lesbians in 1988 abseiling into the House of Lords when it was being debated, and a glorious interruption of the BBC news at 6pm being read by Sue Lawley and Nicholas Witchell by a couple of lesbiansaround the same time. The show shouts its message loud and clear – section 22 cast a long shadow - but for all the energy on display this is a long evening which by the end it gets rather wearisome and while it hits some of its targets more get missed. Act Two, although it contains a couple of very touching stories of how life was then, and also includes at the beginning – inevitably since it was her Government who passed the act -  quite the worst parody of Margaret Thatcher addressing a Tory conference ever devised – is pretty well an after thought.The story has been pretty well told if a bit messily. The section banned the teaching of homosexuality in schools as a family relationship thus placing teachers in an impossible position when confronted with a child needing help. Its existence is one of the factors in the development of the LBGTQ community now a powerful part of society. It is brash, the score by Frew evokes the tunes of the time and it works perfectly well in the National Theatre's London Road mode. The fact that the LBGTQ community is an accepted pressure group to be listened to rather than ignored is the great change that has taken place since its abolition, although vigilance is ever necessary – look at Reform's threat to ban the rainbow flag from public offices should it ever get into power.

Cast

Ericka Posadas, Nkara Stephenson, Ellice Stevens, Calle Hough. Chad Saint Louis – Understudy

Creatives

Director – Billy Barrett

Set & Costume Designer – Bethany Wells

Lighting Designer – Jodie Underwod

Musical Director – Frew

Sound Designer – Owen Crouch

Video Designer – Zakk Hein

Choreographer – Sung Im Her

Musical Supervisor – Martin Low