Marvellous is a feel-good evening of entertainment at London’s new @sohoplace theatre – review
Originally a Stoke New Vic Theatre production, Marvellous has just opened the brand-new @sohoplace theatre – the first new West End theatre to open in the capital for 50 years.
It’s based on the book of the same name, which has already been turned into a BAFTA-winning film. It tells the story of unlikely local legend of Newcastle-under-Lyme Neil Baldwin, who is now 74 (and we are told attends each show – he was there on press night); Neil was diagnosed with “learning difficulties” when he was four years old, although they didn’t call it that back then.
Over the course of a couple of hours we see Neil’s heart-warming true story play out; Michael Hugo takes the lead role as ‘real Neil’ while the supporting cast swap in for him throughout the decades (while taking on multiple other roles as well).
It’s a feel-good and uplifting evening of light entertainment as his rather unique story develops. Defying the odds – being told that “people like us don’t go to university” and that his goals should be achievable – he goes on to succeed in what is a many and varied career.
