Who is Neil Baldwin? Exactly – me too.
Having never heard of him, I was perplexed as to why the first theatre to open up in the West End in 50 years would begin its run with a show about a man who most people have never heard of.
Baldwin, born in 1946, had a learning disability but that didn’t stop him from being a circus clown, or a kit man for Stoke City FC, where in turn he became a minor celebrity. Baldwin was also was an autograph hunter, and the story of his life is told at the new Soho Place in a show called ‘Marvellous.’
Having already been performed at the New Vic Theatre in Bristol earlier this year, it has premiered at the brand spanking new Soho Place just seconds from Tottenham Court Road.
The show doesn’t have the dazzle and dazzle one would expect to find in the West End. On the bare bones stage of Soho Place, the show relies on the actors talents to get us through the story. Michael Hugo ably plays Baldwin, but at times his voice isn’t perfect enough to understand what he is saying. The ensemble is determined to act out Baldwin’s life, including as a baby to when he became an adult man, with Suzanne Ahmet wonderful as Neil’s mom. It’s comedy, the slapstick variety, very physical, that this show is presented to us, and it works in part due to the talent of everyone involved, all working on a stage that as bare bones as possible. There is not a dancing girl or strobing lights to be seen, the action and the fun and humour is all from the actors on stage. And while the show is not exactly ground breaking, it is marvellous, and it’s good for a night out in the West End at the brand spanking new Soho Place.
Review by Tim Baros