Boy on the Roof at The Swan Theatre Worcester - Review

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Fri 08 Mar 2024 - Sat 09 Mar 2024

Vamos’s latest production Boy on the Roof centres on a seemingly unlikely friendship across the generations.

Teenager Liam has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and struggles to fit in.

Constantly in trouble at school, unable to focus or even sit still much of the time, he is a source of frustration for his dad and worry for his mum. Pensioner Albert is terribly lonely since the death of his wife and this isolation is exacerbated by his deafness. With no living person to share his life and stories, he talks to his wife’s photograph and her walking frame, even setting up a chess game in which he plays both sides.




And yet these two neighbours see something in each other which the rest of society has failed to recognise and they connect and create a special bond. But in a world where difference is not appreciated both their friendship and their wellbeing seem to be under threat.

Written and directed by Vamos artistic director Rachael Savage, Boy on the Roof was inspired by the coming together of neighbours during the Covid pandemic so that people who had lived next door to each other for years suddenly discovered each other. During roughly two years of research, Savage decided to focus on the themes of ADHD and isolation for the elderly within this world of one street.

And from this research comes an achingly touching tale of the importance but also the fragility of friendship and familial relationships.

Told through full mask theatre and therefore without words, every movement and action is laden with meaning. When Albert straightens the handbag on his wife’s walking frames it speaks acres of his love for her and how much he misses her. When Liam fidgets on the sofa we see each movement as his pent-up ADHD.

And we feel empathy for all of the characters - Liam’s dad isn’t a bad father he just doesn’t know how to cope with his son, Liam’s mum is brimming with affection but not sure how to keep both her husband and son happy.



The roles, which also include a stressed-out neighbour with a crying baby, are played by seasoned full mask actors James Greaves and Alan Riley as well as Gavin Maxwell who brings his lived experience of ADHD to the role of Liam. The trio quickly inhabit each role, giving them their own nuances, their own characters and, it seems strange to say when the masks don’t change, their own expressions.

The production makes imaginative and fun use of film, allowing us to see the street from the windows of the various houses and ensuring the story can continue outdoors. Designed by Daniel Hill, the projection shows characters approaching and leaving the front doors as well as inside the other houses on the street, putting our story into context.

The set, designed by Carl Davies, uses a single interior but with one side clearly Albert’s home and the other that of Liam’s family.

For more than a decade Vamos has built up a strong reputation for creating theatre which explores hefty themes including dementia, post-traumatic stress and terminal illness - and again Boy on the Roof encourages us to think about and be a little more understanding of people with ADHD or hearing loss or those experiencing isolation. But it does so in a gentle and amusing way, with the audience laughing with affection at the foibles and mishaps of the characters.

And ultimately the show ends on a high note reminding us how people may appear to be different and yet can build up strong relationships – all it takes is a bit of understanding, empathy and willingness to connect.

The show finishes its UK tour at The Swan Theatre in Worcester on 9 March but see here for future tours

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