REVIEW: FLYBY @ SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE

🎭 Flyby

📍 The Large, Southwark Playhouse,  77-85 Newington Causeway, London, SE1 6BD

🗓 Monday 13th April 2026

⭐️ 2 Stars

A SCRIPT LOST IN THE STARS

There is nothing quite like the buzz of a brand-new musical. That "new car smell" of a production is something that genuinely excites me, so when the invite arrived to head down to Southwark Playhouse and check out FLYBY, I jumped at the chance. A story about Daniel Defoe - no, not the Moll Flanders guy, but an astronaut who hijacks a spacecraft to lose himself among the stars - has "epic" written all over it.

The trouble is, the story gets well and truly lost in its own writing. There is a severe lack of clear storytelling here. The opening scene is, frankly, tedious, and unfortunately it struggles to improve from there. Our central couple, Daniel and Emily, are inexplicably surrounded by three narrators who seem to do little more than clutter the stage and muddy the narrative waters. Why three? One would have been plenty. Honestly though, this felt like it was screaming to be a tight, emotional two-hander.

Musically it's a bit of a mixed bag. The compositions are actually really good and the onstage orchestra delivers a rich, full sound that fills the auditorium wonderfully. However, the lyrics just didn't match the quality of the score. They were notably clunky, which left me wondering why this story needed to be a musical at all.

Visually, the set design is a winner. The Large has been configured in a way I've never seen before, projecting out and framing itself to cleverly represent both Daniel's suburban home and his cramped space capsule simultaneously. It's a smart bit of staging.

Regular readers of mine will know that having studied technical theatre I'm a stickler for the technicals and here they just weren't up to scratch. Firstly the sound levels were all over the shop. The actors felt over-miced, leading to distorted vocals. The lighting design clearly had big ideas and lots of creativity behind it, but with actors' faces frequently lost in the shadows, the execution let it down. To be brutally honest, these are basic fixes that should have been ironed out in tech, and are inexcusable.

My overall feeling is that FLYBY needs significantly more workshopping. While it's true that the tech can be tweaked, the script and lyrics need a proper overhaul to create something much more succinct and engaging.

I was already struggling with the evening when, about halfway through, things took a turn for the worse. A song by the three narrators featured an erratic visual sequence that sent me straight into sensory overload. Now, I don't often talk about my neurodiversity because in the grand scheme of things it's relatively mild, and it's very rare that I have an incident such as this in a theatre. In fact, this is only the second time I can remember it happening to this degree. I had to deploy my personal coping mechanisms and eventually just close my eyes because the stimulation was simply too much.

Things didn't improve from there. The character of Emily was, in my opinion, absolutely horrible. She was a condescending bully who gaslights Daniel while constantly playing the victim. When she launched into a massive rant, I felt an intense wave of dislike that, combined with me already being on edge from the sensory overload, made it very hard to cope. At that point, I couldn't just close my eyes to hide from the character dynamics. I desperately wanted to leave, but the seating configuration and the location of where I was sitting meant that I couldn't get out without being incredibly disruptive.

It is my strong feeling that there needs to be much clearer warnings for this production. If I struggled this much, someone with more intense neurodiverse needs is going to find this show a serious challenge. Side note: the show also opens with a massive bang and a total blackout, which I was personally fine with, but others might not be.

The cast overall are solid, though some of the directed harmonies sounded a bit off to my ears. The absolute saving grace however, is Stuart Thompson. He does an incredible amount of heavy lifting here, making Daniel likeable, relatable, and deeply human. His vocals have a beautiful, soulful warmth. If I'm grateful for one thing, it's that this production has introduced me to Thompson's talent. His closing number was the standout moment of the night. Finally there was a song where the lyrics had heart and meaning.

Unfortunately, that high was followed by a truly bizarre ending. While it tried to call back on an earlier plot point, having someone dressed as a turtle crawling across the stage was just... weird. It was clearly meant to be a poignant, emotional beat, but the audience started laughing. When your big finale prompts giggles instead of tears, something has gone wrong. The turtle being represented by a projection might have saved the moment.

The concept behind FLYBY is undoubtedly brilliant, but it currently lacks the substance and polish to make it soar. It tries too hard to be original, but unfortunately falls into the category of style over substance.

If you want to make up your own mind about this new musical, performances continue until Saturday 16th May. Click here to book tickets.

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 reviewer.  

My ticket for this performance of Flyby was gifted by Southwark Playhouse 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:

Stuart Thompson as Daniel Defoe; Poppy Gilbert as Emily Baker; Rupert Young as Jonathan Jay; Gina Beck as Amy Greenwood; Simbi Akande

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 20 minutes, with no interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Strong language; References to violence and mental illness; Sexual references; Loud bang to open; Full blackout; Flashing lights; Fast image projections; Bullying and gaslighting; Unnecessary joke about asperger's (ASD)

AGE RECOMMENDATION:

12 +

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