Review: Wonder Boy

(Photo: L-R, Amanda Lawrence, Ramesh Meyyappan and Raphael Famotibe. Courtesy of Steve Tanner & Bristol Old Vic)

Wonder Boy, a new play about a teenage boy who stammers, opened in Bristol last week. Our Children & Families Programme Lead Catherine Woolley went along to the press night and tells us what she thought.

Wainwright: How does stammering make you feel Sonny?

Sonny: It's like everyone else is flying and I'm just standing still. 

But I wanna fly.

I wanna soar.

Wonder Boy tells the story of Sonny, a teenager with a stammer (played by Raphael Famotibe). As he navigates secondary school Sonny relies on his comic book creation Captain Chatter, a superhero with the 'amazing power to ask the bus driver for a ticket'.

Through Captain Chatter, we get to see Sonny's passion for art and storytelling brought to life in his internal monologues. Ramesh Meyyappan (Captain Chatter) is a dynamic performer to watch, blending both sign language and physical theatre in a creative and engaging way. His use of sign language throughout the performance is one of the ways that the show succeeds in being accessible for deaf audiences in a completely natural way. During the performance, the script is projected onto the back wall, with each character having their own font and style which helps to build their unique voice. Other projections of images (including memes!) help to bring the abstract set to life. If only all shows could find such creative ways to be inclusive for deaf audiences!

During the show we see Sonny explore a range of different relationships, from his budding friendship with Roshi (Juliet Agnes), his time spent with his teacher Wainwright (Amanda Lawrence) and the beautifully quiet scenes with his mother (Jenny Fitzpatrick). Throughout the show Sonny's stammer is placed front and centre, with Famotibe giving a nuanced portrayal of a range of stammering behaviours such as blocking (where the words are stuck) and repeating words or sounds.

At the show's heart is the relationship between Sonny and his unconventional teacher Wainwright, which has strong echoes of the friendship between Lionel Logue and King George VI most famously portrayed in the film The King's Speech. As a speech and language therapist (SLT) myself I was a little disappointed that the play doesn't touch on the role that SLTs can play in supporting young people who stammer, instead giving the therapeutic role to Wainwright. While Wainwright's character can feel unrealistic at times (no teacher in real life would ever get away with swearing so much around their pupils – indeed, for that reason the production is recommended for ages 12 and over), the dynamic between Famotibe and Lawrence feels authentic with moments of genuine connection, particularly later in the story.

At times, the show leans into an 'overcoming narrative', with fluency presented as the end goal to achieve. However, as the play progresses, we see that communicating confidently, not being fluent, is the real success.  

Wainwright: Look, overcoming stammering doesn't mean not stammering.

Overcoming stammering means overcoming the idea that stammering can hold you back.

More than anything else, this show is fun! While it tackles some complex and at times emotionally challenging concepts, it does so with a masterful blend of light and shade. Wonder Boy will make you laugh. It might make you cry. It will definitely make you think.

Wonder Boy is showing at the Bristol Old Vic until Saturday 26th March. For more information and to book tickets, visit the Bristol Old Vic's website. Don't worry if you're not in the Bristol area. There'll also be live online broadcasts on 24th-26th March. See the Wonder Boy Live Broadcast page for more information.

Wonder Boy is written by Ross Willis and directed by Olivier award-winning Sally Cookson.