Flock, Soho Theatre review
Right now, there are over 100,000 children living in care in the UK – a record high. Increasing demand for foster homes is putting unprecedented pressure on the system, meaning almost 40% of siblings in care are separated.
This is the backdrop to Lin Coghlan’s Flock, the powerful and tragic story of siblings Robbie and Cel navigating the care system, their changing relationship, and the trials of early adulthood. Robbie is 17 and desperate to get his ‘bidding number’ so he can apply for council housing and live independently, longing for a world where he and Cel can be a family again. At the same time, Cel longs for a life beyond the town where they’ve grown up; working three jobs she spends her evenings studying for A-Levels at the local college and dreams of being offered a place at university.
Coghlan’s script is based on over three years of research as part of the Raising the Roof engagement programme, working alongside young people in the care system to develop stories based on their experiences. Whilst not verbatim the authenticity is obvious in Coghlan’s writing – Raising the Roof participants attended rehearsed readings and shared feedback on the script – and her dialogue and characters are engaging and believable, without over-romanticising or stereotyping their experiences.
Jamie Ankrah captures Robbie’s emotional turbulence perfectly: not yet an adult but no longer a child, he is stuck between two worlds that don’t accept him. He is equal parts frustrating and pitiable, lashing out at his sister and social worker Mrs Bosely (Jennifer Daley) despite the affection he clearly feels for them both. It takes a little while to warm to Gabriella Leonardi’s Cel, but she seems to relax into the role as we learn more about her life and aspirations, and it is her heartbreaking storyline that ultimately hits home.
Jim Pope’s direction makes use of the small, sparse stage and Sandra Falase’s set design embodies the forced resourcefulness of the young characters – shopping trolleys become cars, wooden blocks are train carriages, and an old tarpaulin is the local canal where they go fishing for change. This fluidity mirrors the play’s narrative, which weaves cleverly through time between flashbacks to Robbie’s and Cel’s childhood, their present-day frustrations and dreams for the future.
At just over an hour the play is short and offers the audience only a brief window into the lives and struggles of the characters. A sudden tragedy means the ending feels somewhat abrupt, interrupting any space for reflection that the open-ended narrative might otherwise have left. Nonetheless, Flock gives a voice to young people that often don’t have one, and highlights the struggles that those in the care system experience into adolescence and beyond.
‘Flock’ is playing Upstairs at The Soho Theatre, Dean Street, until Saturday 2 November. Find out more and buy tickets here.
Review by Ellen Hodgetts
Captain Morgan and Pepsi MAX are celebrating their new pre-mixed drink with a two-day immersive in Shoreditch on 23 and 24 October 2024.…
In partnership with Penguin Books, Canary Wharf Group celebrates Black History Month by offering free, accessible literature from a diverse range of Black authors.
Leap Year explores Yang’s multifaceted, interdisciplinary, and inventive practice from the early 2000s to today, featuring key works from some of her most notable series…
12th edition of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair 2024 at Somerset House, London review…
Goodbye Horses is an excellent neighbourhood wine bar, offering a memorable combination of delicious food, great wine, and a lively atmosphere.
London Cocktail Week · Esther Mahlangu: Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu · My English Persian Kitchen · Decorative Art Fair · András Schiff: Haydn, Schubert & Mozart · Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland · Barter and Bazaar: The Journey of Exchange · Nicola L. · Mike Kelley: Ghost and Spirit · Sonia Boyce: An Awkward Relation…
Frieze London and Frieze Masters · Halloween at Kew Gardens · BFI London Film Festival · LAPADA · London Literature Festival · Princess Essex at Shakespeare’s Globe · Fabric at 25 · András Schiff: Haydn, Schubert & Mozart · London Cocktail Week · Wildlife Photographer of the Year…
Eugene Onegin, The Royal Opera · British Art Fair 2024 · Rasheed Araeen’s Discosailing: A Ballet on Water · Edward Gardner Conducts Rachmaninov · Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Royal Ballet · Debenhams Exclusive One-Day Luxury Pop-Up Spa · Free Pizza from Yard Sale Pizza · Chelsea History Festival · Friday Late: Fashioning Futures · Christie’s Late: Voices of Black Artistry · Yayoi Kusama….
Bermondsey Street Festival · Frieze Sculpture 2024 · London Design Festival 2024 · Future of Food Festival · Ara Malikian · Totally Thames 2024 · La traviata, The Royal Opera · Qudus Onikeku’s Re:INCARNATION · Michael Craig-Martin · Yelena Popova: Of Dust and Breath · Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum: It Will End in Tears · Lap-See Lam · Tracey Emin: I followed you to the end · Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers · Eva Rothschild · …
Slice teams up with Yard Sale Pizza for free Pizza on the 24 September at their Hackney Road Store….
The exhibition ‘MARY MARY’ will feature sculptures by nine women artists on the roof terrace above Temple tube station from October 2024 to September 2025…
Hayu FanFest will make its debut in London on 26 October, featuring exclusive panels, star-studded meet-and-greets, and a special appearance by Andy Cohen…
London's bustling art week returns next month, with Frieze London and Frieze Masters launching at The Regent's Park from 9 to 13 October 2024. During this time, several other art fairs will also be taking place across the city…
Queen’s Park is set to bid farewell to summer with a vibrant street party on Lonsdale Road, scheduled for Friday, 13th September, from 4-10pm. This exciting event will unite the local community with a lively set by Hed Kandi DJ John Jones …
London Podcast Festival 2024 · Birkenstock 250th Anniversary Exhibition · Rolf Hind: Sky in a Small Cage · Totally Thames 2024 · Unlimited Southbank Centre · London Mural Festival 2024 · Cornelius + Ichiko Aoba · The Marriage of Figaro, The Royal Opera · Rooftop Book Club · The Vinyl Factory: REVERB · Ernest Cole: House of Bondage · Roger Mayne: Youth …
A significant piece of London’s nightlife history is making its way to the new London Museum, set to open in 2026. The iconic sign from the renowned nightclub fabric, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2019, will be featured in the museum’s permanent installation…
Babur is a respected family run restaurant in an unassuming neighbourhood which opened back in 1985 and has clearly stood the test of time. The kitchen is led by two talented chefs (formerly of the renowned luxury Oberoi Hotel Group) head chef Jiwan Lal and sous chef Praveen Kumar Gupta, who both helped Babur receive London’s Best Asian Restaurant at the Asian Restaurant Awards in 2022.
One Tree Hill Nature Reserve offers a peaceful retreat from busy London. Located in Honor Oak It can be reached by the Overground train arriving at Honor Oak, a small reserve of 7 acres with interesting history, wildlife and stunning panoramic views towards the city.
Lumen Studios present NONOTAK’s ECLIPSE in London with a 1,000-square-metre immersive light and sound exhibition.
Shifters, currently on at The Duke of York’s Theatre following a sold-out first run at Bush Theatre, is the story of Dre and Des: two childhood friends who reunite at the wake of Dre’s Nana after eight long years apart.
Kinnari Saraiya is a London-based Indian artist, curator, and researcher whose work focuses on trans-altern and post-humanist ideas from the Global South. She is currently a curator at Somerset House and has held positions at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Frieze Art Fair, and Bowes Museum....
Arte Povera at Bourse de Commerce · retrospective of Jackson Pollock’s Musée National Picasso-Paris · Barbara Crane’s photography at Centre Pompidou · Pop Forever, Tom Wesselmann & …, at Fondation Louis Vuitton · Petit Palais Palais de Tokyo…
Berlin, Berlin: 20 Years of the Helmut Newton Foundation · Alexandra Pirici and Nama Tsbar at Hamburger Bahnhof · Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley: The Soul Station · Luis Roque: Estufa · Galli: See How You Get On · Akinbode Akinbiyi: Being, Seeing, Wandering · Frans Hals: Master of the Fleeting Moment · Dream On—Berlin, the 90s...
Wilhelm Sasnal: Painting as Prop at Stedelijk Museum · Matthew Wong: Vincent van Gogh: Painting as a Last Resort at Van Gogh Museum · Point of View at Rijksmuseum…
On the last Saturday of August, Tate Modern Lates will present a unique collaboration with the acclaimed rapper, singer, and actor Little Simz, who will curate an exclusive evening of music, conversations, workshops...
Classical Music Opening Weekend Southbank Centre · CelebrASIA Festival at Battersea Power Station · Rooftop Book Club · Qudus Onikeku’s Re:INCARNATION · London Design Festival 2024 · Totally Thames 2024 · Open House London · Art Exhibitions · Voyages Extraordinaires at Gothic Bar · Waterworks Festival · The Last Night of the Proms · Unlimited Southbank Centre · London Mural Festival…
National Prosecco Weekend · Fiddler on the Roof · Hospitality In The Woods · All Points East Festival · Hogarth’s House · Afternoon Tea Week 2024 · Wellness in Nature · Homelessness: Reframed · Peter Kennard: Archive of Dissent · Hockney and Piero: A Longer Look · Banksy’s in London · POoR Collective: Together We Rise…
Andi and Miquita Oliver introduced Wilderness Festival goers to a selection of European cheeses, sharing culinary tips and insights during a live podcast with special guest Matt Tebbutt….
Marc Quinn: Light into Life · Tavares Strachan: There Is Light Somewhere · Roger Mayne: Youth · C. Rose Smith: Talking Back to Power · Rheim Alkadhi: Templates for Liberation · REVERB by The Vinyl Factory · Fragile Beauty: Photographs from the Sir Elton John and David Furnish Collection · Design Discoveries: Towards a DESIGN MUSEUM JAPAN · Gavin Jantjes: To Be Free! A Retrospective 1970 – 2023 · Francis Alÿs: Ricochets · Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence …