Review of Children's Inquiry, Southwark Theatre Elephant

This vibrant musical production from theatre company Lung offers a glimpse of how badly children have been treated in this country over the years. The Children's Inquiry, written by Helen Monks and Matt Woodhead, focuses on the stories of four children. Jelicia is viewed as a social worker's success story, Frank has been through eight foster homes, while Angelica and Amber end up in care, after there parents are deported. The individual stories fit against a backdrop of the fate of children over the past 150 years. The narrative runs through the major events of the nation, from World Wars I & II to migration to Australia in the 1950s, with the abuse that involved. Then there was the nuclear bomb and the moon landings. The piece on Section 28 is accompanied by the haunting voice of Margaret Thatcher, giving the loathsome Iron Lady speech and quoting St Francis of Assissi on the steps of Downing Street. The second half begins with the spooky sight of all the kids with Tony Blair masks, talking about Education, education, education. Then there is the Big Society, Brexit, Theresa May, COVID and finally (and not a little ironically) Keir Starmer promising change. The whole show, though, rattles along, with music and dance, revealing the children's plight in the real world detached from the political sphere. This is nicely illustrated as the actors lip sync the political pronouncements, with the politicians turning inward to applaud each other. They are very much in a separate world. The lyrics of Owen Crouch and Clementine Douglas are spot on, with phrases like "nothing changes" and "didn't put two and two together" making the case simply. There is always hope, though, running through the production. The falseness of political mantras like we're all in this together leap out from the dialogue. It is very much a case of those administering (the politicians) and those being done to ( the children) - a vast chasm appears between the two down the ages. The choreography of Alexzandra Sarmiento and direction of Woodhead brings a seamless nature to the production, using the whole theatre space whilst switching from scene to scene. The chimes of Big Ben punctuate each section. There is a great energy in the musical, with a hope born of authenticity in the children. Some great acting and singing performances. There are two ensembles alternating in the production. A great piece of political theatre, making powerful points in a way that really does connect with the audience. Runs until 3 Aug