Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love going to the theatre, and every time I visit London, I’m doing something stagey, and seeing a new show. London’s West End has 39 theatres, as well as the vast number of Off West End venues in the city, and with a continuous turnover of musicals, shows and performances, there’s always something to be enjoying. To that end, I very rarely go to revisit a show, because with so much talent around, why would I go and see a production again, even if I really enjoyed it? And this sentiment has stayed pretty consistent, with me only seeing two shows in the theatre capitals of the world more than once before December.
The first was Shrek The Musical in 2011 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. When I was younger, this was one of my first West End shows and to say I was enamoured with the West End and theatre would be an understatement. I didn’t particularly revisit for the musical itself, but I did really enjoy this as one of my earliest theatre memories. My second took place earlier this year on my first visit to Broadway in New York City, where one of the shows I was fortunate enough to see was & Juliet at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, having seen it in the West End at the Shaftesbury Theatre in December 2022. This musical was pure joy for me, with the jukebox setting, a phenomenal cast of some of my favourite performers including Cassidy Janson and Oliver Tompsett, as well as the beauty of the character May. This came at a really strange time for me in terms of my own gender identity, and getting to see such an enlightening characterisation by Jo Foster right in front of me was inspiring to say the least, and I had to go and see this again when I visited New York.
It takes a lot for me for go back to something I’ve seen before. And usually a fairly long period of time as well. But this trend was broken recently, by the new musical The Little Big Things. I saw this show back in September and have already returned to see it again, making this the only production I saw at home over the winter break. But with so many new musicals that have opened in the past three months, why did I have to go back?
For anyone who hasn’t seen this show, or maybe hasn’t even heard about it, The Little Big Things is a brand new musical based on the memoirs of artist Henry Fraser. When Henry was a teenager, he went on holiday with his brothers and had an accident, damaging his fourth vertebrae. The accident left him paralysed from the shoulders downwards, leaving Henry wheelchair-bound. As the aspiring rugby player and his family come to adapt to the changes in Henry’s life, the musical tells the story of acceptance, letting go and hope, as Henry becomes a talented mouth artist.
Now this story in itself is a beautiful one. It’s honest, heartfelt and deeply emotional, and yet leaves you feeling uplifted, inspired and hopeful. It’s a story where lifechanging things happen, but teaches the audience that these things aren’t necessarily bad things. It teaches us that just because someone is in a wheelchair, or is disabled in any way, doesn’t mean they want to be treated any differently or that they need to be felt sorry for. And it’s messages like this the whole way through that really make you reflect on yourself and on the world around you. I want to point out, however, that I am a fully able person with no disabilities of my own, and all comments and opinions may reflect this. There’s one point where Amy Trigg’s character Agnes points out that disabled people may be disabled, but it’s often the world around them which makes them more disabled. For example, she says “The lift’s broken, I’m more disabled. There’s no ramp, I’m more disabled”, and lines like this force you to take a step back and consider what the realities are for those who are disabled.
The show is specifically staged in the newest West End theatre @sohoplace, which is designed as an accessible theatre both for audiences and cast. And it’s when you consider this fact and then imagine basically any other theatre you’ve ever been in, and you realise that this is not only a rare thing, it’s unheard of. The musical tackles issues like this repeatedly, but not in a way that feels like a lecture, but enough that it makes you take a step back and think. And a show that can do that so many times, so effectively in such a short space of time is something very powerful.
What’s more is the way the staging of this show is done, and the theatre of @sohoplace itself. The Little Big Things is performed in-the-round, meaning there are audience members sat on all sides of the performance area, with the stage in the middle. And in such an intimate venue as @sohoplace, it means not only do you feel very close to the performance, but all around you, you’re looking at other audience members as well as the cast. You can see their faces, you can see their reactions, and you have someone sat directly opposite. This may seem slightly unusual, but in the context of the marvel playing out in front of you, being able to see other people is strangely comforting, and something which is actually very nice when this show plays out more and more.
Whilst on the topic of inclusivity both within the show and its audience, this musical has clearly been designed with accessibility in mind. Many productions may choose to make adaptations in specific performances to allow a greater range of people to be able to enjoy the show. And The Little Big Things does this as well, it must be said. However, certain elements of the show are built on not only including accessible elements but integrating them. All of the choreography in the show is performed to very similar levels by all performers, regardless of physical ability. Rather than designing choreography or staging for able-bodied performers that others have to adapt to, it is made to be performed by everyone, which is a huge breath of fresh air. As well as this, many of the musical numbers have integrated sections of British Sign Language (BSL) built in to the dances. And whilst the entire show isn’t captioned or signed, these sections allow anyone who may rely on these to enjoy the songs. But this isn’t the only genius that comes from this inclusion.
By including BSL as part of choreography for songs, it makes it more likely that people who enjoy the show may pick up some phrases in BSL. The phrases may not be incredibly applicable to day-to-day life, but by including them in the same way you would any dance, the chance of someone picking this up is hugely increased. And seeing it integrated into all performances, by all cast members goes a long way to normalise BSL use. In the same week that the Department for Education announced a timeline for a new BSL GCSE, the fact that something as unassuming as a West End show can integrate this shows how we can all do our parts by learning some BSL ourselves.
Finally, I want to touch on another largely ignored element that most people don’t focus on, but it’s hugely important that everyone is aware of, whether you intend to see the show or not. One of the characters in The Little Big Things is Katie, who is the love interest of Henry Fraser, who is played by Gracie McGonigal. Gracie was born with a congenital limb deficiency, meaning her left arm did not fully develop. And this is visible throughout the production, where she doesn’t use her bionic arm. But this is never touched on, never mentioned or acknowledged by anyone in the cast or the story. Now you may be thinking that this is an odd choice. Surely in a show all about disabled empowerment, why would we not discuss other disabilities other than being in a wheelchair?
But the reason is simple, and can be summed up in a single question – why’s it relevant? Why would a show highlight a disability that doesn’t need to be highlighted? And this is important to take away from the show. Disabilities don’t need to be pointed out or highlighted if it’s not relevant to do so, whether its physical disabilities, tics or indicators of hidden disabilities such as the sunflower lanyards. The world may need to adapt to accommodate those with disabilities, but these don’t need to be pointed out or people made to feel abnormal because of them. The show handles this very well and has clearly been inclusive of disabled voices, rather than simply building a show and retrospectively changing it for the performers they want to cast.
I’ve really enjoyed both times seeing The Little Big Things, and I honestly feel as though it’s inspired me and changed me to want to be a better person because of it. It’s one of those things that almost needs to be required viewing in my opinion, because the importance of its messages and its implications can’t be overstated. Sadly, this show will always struggle to tour anywhere, or even transfer to another West End venue due the accessibility issues the vast majority of them pose, but I hope that the show will be returning once its run has ended and can soon visit other venues to share its story with the nation. If you have any chance to go and see this show, please consider doing so, it’s worth your while!
The Little Big Things is playing at @sohoplace until March 2nd
