Review: Supersonic Man, Southwark Playhouse

There are some fates you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. The incurable degenerative condition Motor Neurone Disease is surely one of them, and it was the true story of one sufferer’s fight against the ravages of MND that inspired Chris Burgess to create this musical story of courage and resilience in the face of a horribly cruel caprice of nature.

The show begins with a portrait of the superficial Brighton gay scene: a seemingly non-stop carousel of partying, sex, and gym sessions. Protagonist Adam (Dylan Aiello) charts his carefree existence in a lifestyle column celebrating frivolity, while his more sensible boyfriend Darryl (Dominic Sullivan) looks on indulgently.

A strange feeling in Adam’s toes is the first sign that all’s not well, and soon the attractive young man is confronted with the diagnosis that spells the end of everything he holds dear – and indeed his death in probably around two years’ time.

After understandably feeling sorry for himself – he’s grieving his own demise, after all – Adam determines to approach the future proactively, pursuing early surgical interventions and aiming to utilise technology against his disease to take him somewhere “Beyond Stephen Hawking”. Given his propensity for over-sharing his life, it makes perfect sense to Adam to have his journey documented by a reality TV crew. Meanwhile, Darryl does his best to cope with the imminent loss of his lover.

Three other actors flesh out the cast with roles as friends, scientific “Boffins” and the aforementioned TV crew. Of these, Mali Wen Davies makes the biggest splash, with great comic timing and a terrific voice.

Although Supersonic Man takes ironic aim at various targets from shallow gay lifestyles to media sensationalism, the satire isn’t particularly acute or insightful. And while it’s refreshing to have such a grim storyline enhanced with lively musical interludes, I didn’t find the songs particularly memorable, apart from in that they led the otherwise capable Burgess to indulge in some carelessly trite couplets.

Two musical exceptions must be mentioned: a dream flashback to carefree clubbing times in which Adam’s physicality is unimpeded works effectively to demonstrate the life he’s losing, and a final vision of a cyborg “Adam 2.0” energetically twins futurism with a clever twist of old Broadway stylings.

The big strength of this energetic production is the realism of the drama. The devastating weight of Adam’s diagnosis and the effect on his relationships burns a hole through the frippery surrounding it, in no small part due to strong performances from the leads. It’s no small achievement to find the humanity in a shallow Scene Queen like Adam, and Darryl is given emotional life beyond the stereotype of the grieving carer.

It might not have ticked all my boxes, but Supersonic Man gained my admiration by bringing a heartbreaking story to life with compassion, ambition and humanity. 

Written and directed by: Chris Burgess
Musical direction by: Aaron Clingham
Produced by: LAMBCO Productions

Supersonic Man plays at Southwark Playhouse until Saturday 3 May.