REVIEW: AGGY @ KING'S HEAD THEATRE

🎭 Aggy

📍 King's Head Theatre, 116P Upper Street, Islington London, N1 1QP

🗓 Monday 19th October 2026

⭐️ 4 Stars

VITAL QUEER STORYTELLING

As part of a highly anticipated queer double-bill of shows currently playing at the King's Head Theatre, Paul Bradshaw’s AGGY really grabs you by the collar and refuses to let go.

Written by Bradshaw and directed with a sharp, no-nonsense precision by Imogen Frances, AGGY is an absolute firecracker of a one-act play. It dives headfirst into the messy, uncomfortable intersections of queer identity, privilege, race, and gender, and it doesn’t care if it makes you squirm a little in your seat. In fact, I think that’s exactly the point.

The story follows struggling artist Lawrence and his partner young professional Mahlik, and without giving too much away, it unravels the layers of how we mask ourselves within our own community. The dialogue is snappy, painfully current, and packed with that specific brand of sharp wit we use as armour. It shifts effortlessly from laugh-out-loud funny to painfully heartbreaking in the blink of an eye. What I found clever in the writing is how unapologetic it is. It doesn't sugarcoat the fractures within LGBTQ+ spaces, choosing instead to hold up a mirror to our own biases. It’s raw, it's thought-provoking, and it features some great performances from its cast.

As the central couple, Matthew Jordan and Jean-Luke Worrell deliver a masterclasses in modern relationship friction. Jordan brings a beautifully nuanced vulnerability to Lawrence, anchoring the piece's emotional weight. You can really see his inner turmoil as he wrestles with his decisions. Alongside him, Worrell is a magnetic presence as Mahlik, navigating the complex racial and societal pressures thrown his way with fierce, undeniable skill. Together, their dynamic is the beating heart of the production.

Meanwhile, Jack Gittins injects a brilliant, chaotic energy into the piece as Rex. His on-screen antics are a comedic highlight, capturing the online absurdities of our modern age with pitch-perfect timing. It’s through Rex, and the wider world the couple inhabits, that the play raises a fascinating, deeply uncomfortable conversation about how we represent ourselves online. AGGY holds a magnifying glass to the curated alternate personas we build on the grid - exploring that toxic modern luxury of sharing only as much of ourselves as we want to, while hiding the fractured realities of who we actually are when the screen goes black.

For me personally, TELL ME STRAIGHT - the first play in this double-bill - felt more relatable, but that's really only because I feel it was more my story. AGGY focuses more on a young, modern-day couple facing a different world and different prejudices than I did at that age. I'm sure the generation depicted on stage would resonate as much with these characters as I did with those in the first play. It is a vital reminder of how rapidly the queer landscape shifts.

Where this show really came into its own was with its production values. The set design works beautifully, creating a real homely and recognisable atmosphere that makes you feel like an uninvited guest in their living room. Crucially, the video design works cleverly to not only create art on the walls, but to act as screens for social media. The piece is definitely very 2026, and that's not a bad thing at all. It captures our digital anxieties flawlessly.

At just over an hour, the play flies by so fast that you’re left desperately wanting a bit more time to sit with these characters and unpack their trauma. But hey, leaving the audience craving more is definitely not a bad problem to have.

AGGY is fiercely contemporary, deeply moving, and exactly the kind of vital queer storytelling we need to see on London stages right now. Performances continue until 14th November. CLICK HERE to read my four star review of TELL ME STRAIGHT and to find a link to tickets to this incredible double bill.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of Aggy was gifted by Chloe Nelkin Consulting, who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

CAST:

Matthew Jordan as Lawrence; Jean-Luke Worrell as Mahlik; Jack Gittins as Rex (on-screen)

CREATIVES:

Writer and Co-Producer - Paul Bradshaw; Director - Imogen Frances; Producer -Steph Hartland; Set and Costume Designer - Damien Stanton; Lighting Design - Cheng Keng; Sound Design Eamonn O’Dwyer; Video Designer - Matt Powell

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 5 minutes, with no interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Discussions of racism, gender, and discrimination; Strong language

AGE GUIDELINE:

16+

To keep up to date with all the latest theatre news and more, follow Pink Prince Theatre on social media.

Find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.