Coram Boy: 2/10

Thursday 30th March 2024, Press Night, Chichester Festival Theatre, Row U, Seat 75.

The hard work of Louisa Binder and Rhianna Dorris, whose individual performances were strong, did not diminish the flaws in this production. The half-empty auditorium at the Chichester Festival Theatre was a poor omen and ‘Coram Boy’ did not disappoint from that perspective. Aside from being horrendously long, the adaptation of Jamila Gavin’s novel veered from being slow and dull to so fast it was utterly confusing. I must confess that after spending what felt like an eternity waiting for the first act to end, I saved myself the second and googled the ending of the story on my journey home. I am lead to believe that despite this shows poor sales, it is still destined for the west end… Good luck London, I’d give this one a miss.