In Conversation With Graham Norton

Waterloo East Theatre • 11 November - 30 November

It’s been a few years since I first saw In Conversation With Graham Norton by Simon Perrott, given it had originally appeared on my radar back in January 2019 when it was performed at The Hope Theatre in Islington. That production not only came fairly close to the beginning of my own exciting adventures as a theatre reviewer, but it also marked the start of Perrott’s theatrical journey as a playwright, it being his first production after a 30 year career in the city. So much has happened in the intervening 6 years that I was curious to see if the play had stood the test of time. 

Given that, at it’s heart, Perrott focuses on the trails and tribulations of 15 year old Mark (Jamie Kaye) who finds himself overwhelmed with confusion as he struggles to come to terms with his sexuality. It’s certainly a story that is sadly as relevant today as it was then. Yes, the cogs of social acceptance continue to slowly grind in the background, (despite seemingly going into reverse at times, if Nigel Farage’s recent comments about gay marriage are anything to go by), and despite the more fortunate amongst us being able to benefit from these small incremental improvements, (homosexuality is still outlawed in 64 countries), it would seem very little has changed with regards to the trauma many young men face when ‘coming out’, fuelled as it still is by the fear of rejection from family, bullying from classmates, and the prospect of a life lived under a cloud of homophobia that seems to periodically sweep in like a cold front on a weather map.

Perrott’s central and only character, Mark, certainly feels he has no one he can confide in amongst his own family and friends, and so he turns to a framed picture of affable gay chat show host Graham Norton to share his innermost thoughts with having seen just how at ease he always seems to make his guests on television. Luckily for Perrot, Graham Norton has remained a culturally relevant figure during the intervening years since he wrote the play, meaning the central premise, as well as the plays title, still works.  A lot of his character’s other cultural references have changed however. In the sanctuary of his bedroom where this 60 min one-hander takes place, (get your minds out of the gutter), this updated version sees Mark also finding solace in the music of Chappell Roan and Benson Boone, (although he freely admits that the latter has as much to do with the albums cover as it has to do with the music itself). 

Despite the audience being privy to Mark’s confessional conversation with Graham, (some of which would be highly unlikely to get broadcast were Mark ever to appear on the show as an actual guest), this production is far from simply being delivered as a ‘talking-head’ style monologue as Kaye’s performance, under director Gerald Armin, is both engaging and surprisingly energetic, especially in the moments when he recalls past conversations with his father and twin sister. Here he darts around the stage to play both sides of the conversation, and in doing so creates a performance that is as visually engaging as it is impressively delivered. 

Perrot pull’s no punches in having Mark reflect on a number of the more intimate moments of his coming of age journey, and is not only able to mine plenty of humour from these recollections, (you’ll get no spoilers from me regarding the fate of Mark’s poor cat, Kylie!), but is also able to bring an equal amount of sobriety to his characters plight. Whilst the juxtaposition between these comedic and more sensitive moments serve the play well, moments of a more generalised social commentary, as well as Mark’s ribald conversation with his father, feel tonally inconsistent with the characters otherwise wide-eyed innocence and vulnerable demeanour.

If memory serves me right, Mark’s age in the original production was seventeen, and whilst it remains unclear why two years have been shaved off his age for this production, it has unfortunately left some of the more confident and self-aware passages of dialogue failing to resonate quite so believably. Kaye’s continued conviction in his delivery, even in these moments, goes a long way in papering over what are hairline cracks in this otherwise compelling watch, and one suspects even if it takes another six years for this play to resurface again, we’ll be seeing a lot more of this talented young actor in the interim.

As long as it remains necessary for young men to suffer the loneliness and isolation of coming out there will always be a need for plays like this to highlight the unjustified trauma it bring to so many lives. 

★★★★

In Conversation With Graham Norton is on at the Waterloo East Theatre until 30th November 2025. Tickets available here

review: Simon J. Webb

photographs: Robert Piwko