Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Cast: Jake Abraham, Gemma Brodrick, Lindzi Germain, Catherine Rice, Andrew Schofield, Bobby Schofield, Lenny Wood.

There is a clock that starts ticking in all of us at some point or another, it is inevitable, and it is folly to resist; of course, though it is fun to try. They say that women grow up quicker than men, the responsibility of the world hitting home with such force that the fun that once seemed wicked and alluring, is now but a distant memory, one still remembering the fondness of the late night fondle and chip supper, but now concerned with making sure the family that once played together, stays together.

For the man perhaps staring at his own mortality through the eyes of the grandchild, it can either inject a new-found sense of urgency into his life, or it return him in spirit to the place where he may have been happiest, footloose and fancy free, carefree and careless. It is not a place to go willingly, the traps are spiteful, the outcome never pretty, and yet arguably with understanding, it is the point where life starts to sound like a ticking clock, so much to do, so little time in which to hold on to the memory of a smile, of holding on to the era in which we felt like kings.

For Liverpool’s Dave Kirby such a premise is the best place to re-introduce some of the Royal Court’s favourite characters in the last decade from the phenomenally received Lost Soul, and to show with the charm, timing and absolute humour that audiences expect of such a play, performers and writer, when they are once more in the company of Smigger, Donna, Pat and Terry in Lost Soul 2: Smigger’s Wrecked Head.

The proof of genius is through observance, to satirise that ritual of others and turn it into a piece of art is understand pathos and empathy, and certainly Dave Kirby knows how to employ both of these attributes perfectly but also to bring out the very best of humour in the everyday situation. In this the sequel to the adored original, stands just as bold, beautiful and brutally funny as anything as the writer as penned, no mean feat for a playwright versed in searching for excellence.

It is to the cast that eyes and hearts turn, to see Andrew Schofield and Lindzi Germain return as Smigger and Donna as their lives are turned over by the arrival of their daughter’s son, Fernando, is to witness life in all its glory, the embracing and the concern of what this means to a couple of their age is heart-breaking and hilarious at the same time. With Lenny Wood capturing the minds of the audience as the slightly off-kilter barman Shane, whilst providing a killer scene with the always illuminating Bobby Schofield which would put the world play associated of Ronnie Barker to shame. The play is a bountiful microcosm of what life is truly like, the sometimes mismatch of hopes and dreams across the divide of gender and age; but one that is absolute treat to watch unfold.

Lost Soul 2: Smigger’s Wrecked Head is a perfect example of a sequel that delivers in tandem with its predecessor, observed by a writer at the height of his powers.

Ian D. Hall