Humour, adventure, and the importance of kindness

REVIEW: ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’ at New Theatre, Cardiff

This week The New Theatre is hosting the amazing tour of The Boy at the Back of the Class until Saturday 16 May.

The Boy at the Back of the Class, originally a book by Onjali Q. Raúf, winning both The Blue Peter and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize in 2019, was adapted into a stage production by Nick Ahad and been directed by Monique Touko. They completed a successful two- week run at Theatre Rose and then began touring round the country, and are now bringing the show to Cardiff.

The story follows a Year 5 class, and specifically the empty chair at the back that gains an owner. Ahmet is a nine-year-old refugee from Syria. He’s placed in school and after telling them his story of fleeing a warn-torn country, his classmates, Alexa, Tom, Josie and Michael come up with ‘The Greatest Plan in the World’ in order to help their new classmate and friend reunite with his family. However, even the greatest of plans have their flaws.

The cast include Serkan Avlik (Ahmet), Sasha Desouza-Willock (Alexa), Abdul-Malik Janneh (Michael), Petra Joan-Athene (Josie), Jonny Ward (Tom), Evie Weldon (Clarissa), Max Jordan (Brendan the Bully) and Natasha Lewis (Mrs Khan/Mum). They also feature brilliant swings, Eleanor Patel (also Mrs Sanders and Shop Customer), Fedrat Sadat (also Mr Musa and Police Officer) and Yash Kutty.

Credit has to be awarded to the cast. All embodied the behaviour and body language of a child perfectly, reminding us all of the curiosity and the sometimes awkward or uncomfortable questions we had at that age.

Unlike the story, the set was simple, but effective. It transformed from a playground, to a bus, to a room in a house, by just adding a few small props. The focus from the team was in the small details and the effects, such a how they showed Ahmet crossing the sea, which was in my opinion a powerful moment of the show.

There’s no music throughout the show (other than an instrumental number or a well known pop song), but I think this works better as it makes the story easier for children to understand.

I found this production moving and heartwarming. I think it’s an extremely important production, and is an amazing way to explain these hard topics to children in a way that helps them to understand and see the reality of what goes on in the world, without being scary.

The show is told from a child’s perspective, so focuses on the thoughts and actions of the children, and often adding humour to the story. And it was so lovely to see so many children in the audience enjoying the show. There was a bit of everything; humour, adventure, and the power of kindness. I would highly recommend booking tickets to this production while it’s in town.

The Boy at the Back of the Class is in the New Theatre until Saturday (16 May). Make sure to get your ticket for this enjoyable and truthful performance. Tickets are available by ringing 0343 310 0041 or by clicking here.

Review by Sophie Platt

We received free tickets for this performance in exchange for an honest review