Review: Jimmy, Park Theatre
A blistering solo show that brings tennis legend Jimmy Connors back to life in a hilarious, heartfelt, and physically electrifying portrait of sporting glory.Summary
Rating
Unmissable!
As I took my seat at Centre Court (the Park 90 auditorium in this case), motivational anthems like Queen’s ‘Breakthru’ and ACDC’s ‘Highway to Hell’ thundered through the speakers. In the next 55 minutes, something extraordinary unfolded: a tour-de-force solo performance that brought tennis legend Jimmy Connors roaring back to life.
Adam Riches, a Time Out Comedy Award-winner, doesn’t just play Jimmy Connors – he channels him. With uncanny charisma and physicality, Riches captures the swagger, self-belief, and underlying vulnerability of the American star. We can feel the drive and determination needed to be a five-time world number one ranked tennis champion, while also being served up a rally of self-doubt and pain.
Connors’ infamous 1991 US Open run, entering as a 39-year-old wildcard, forms the spine of the show. It’s a match most don’t remember for the winner – as Jimmy reminds us – but for the sheer grit and drama of his comeback against his arch-nemesis’ little brother, Patrick McEnroe. It’s a story both tennis fans and total newbies will become enthralled in.
The match is intercut with confessional monologues that touch on childhood trauma, sacrifice, and the emotional toll of elite competition. Riches shifts between narration and action with breathtaking ease, weaving storytelling, physical theatre and audience interaction into a seamless whole.
The production’s energy is amplified by Roy Martin’s live drumming and Jim Johnson’s precision sound design. Every rally is brought to life, with every twist and turn choreographed to perfection to place the audience right in the mind of this sporting champion for maximum theatrical impact.
Riches plays up to his audience in the same way Jimmy Connors played up to his crowds. In one of the show’s crucial moments, Jimmy notices a spectator heading for the exit, anticipating his defeat. It fuels him. Riches draws us in the same way – locking eyes, bantering with front row audience members, and urging his crowd to cheer, clap, and roar him on to victory. His blend of character work and stand-up is as sharply observed as it is riotously funny.
When the story climaxes the emotional gut-punch sets in. The fact that a show about a tennis match could leave me heartbroken speaks to its craft. I found myself rooting for Jimmy Connors despite being a total novice.
The mastery of this show is that it doesn’t feel like we’re just watching a tennis match. This is truly an experience to be witnessed live. And Riches, dripping in sweat, sums it up best in a momentary interaction with an audience member: “I’ve got to do this for a month?” Yes — and you’d be mad not to catch it while you can.
Verdict: Ace.
Written by: Adam Riches
Directed by: Tom Parry
Sound Design by: Jim Johnson
Lighting Design by: Jake Wiltshire
Technical Stage Manager: Maddie Whiffin
Jimmy plays at Park Theatre until Saturday 26 July.