EDINBURGH 2026 Review: THEY'RE JUST SMALL TOWN (NORTHERN) LADS, Summerhall
Runs until 16 August.
Nathan grew up in a big city, caught in the net between two male figures: a mercurial father who was the king of their estate and a loving Windrush-era grandad whose teachings didn’t stop even while they watched cartoons together. When his mum uproots the family to a northern town to flee his dad’s aggression, the boy is thrown into a new set of social rules. Nathan Jonathan welcomes us into a world where Y2K, MSN, and schoolyard gangs reign supreme.
The monologue explores the trap of toxic masculinity. He breaks the cycle in a witty, engaging piece of theatre that confirms him as a well-rounded performer. Nostalgia seeps from his narration, almost mourning a complicated period in his life. Between nudging his crush on MSN and punching the school bully, Jonathan finds being the only dark-skinned lad around very hard and ends up overthinking his every move.
The bullying is horrid, and its effects only hit us a third into it. When his anger takes over, everything changes. The previously good-natured young boy who couldn’t talk to girls is suddenly always out, looking for trouble. Jonathan’s gaze sharpens and his delivery becomes more anxious. He details the way his brother started to stiffen when he walked into a room, and how his mother must have noticed the traces of his father in him. The shift in tone is duly drastic.
While the first part of the show is endearing and entertaining, featuring a healthy dose of cheesy comedy and coming-of-age humour, it could be tightened. It does make Jonathan’s change of demeanour more evident, but it also dilutes the core of the play. The build-up could be more tense, more frantic. Still, Jonathan’s message is uncompromising. He’s done the work and is willing to stick his neck out to educate more men. “The path you inherit isn’t the path you have to stay on” he observes.
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