REVIEW: INVISIBLE ME @ SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE

🎭 Invisible Me

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

🗓 Saturday 11th April 2026

⭐️ 4 Stars

SIXTY, SEXY, AND SLIGHTLY INVISIBLE

It's not often you walk into the Southwark Playhouse Borough and feel like you've been invited into the very souls of the people you sit next to every day on the Tube, but INVISIBLE ME is that rare, shimmering gem of a play. Tucked away in the beautifully intimate setting of The Little, this production is a four-star masterclass in quietly hopeful storytelling that proves, with heartbreaking wit, that age is nothing but a number.

The setup is deceptively simple but devastatingly effective. Three strangers - Lynn, Jack, and Alec - are all hitting the big 6-0 and grappling with that heavy, invisible brand of loneliness that settles in when the world starts looking past you. They don't actually interact, instead they sit on three simple chairs and peel back the layers of their lives. While their paths occasionally cross in the background of their stories, they each remain the hero of their own separate monologue. It's a brilliant narrative choice that highlights how we can be surrounded by people in a city like London and yet remain entirely in our own worlds.

Bren Gosling's writing is just sublime. It takes the mundane, everyday fragments of life and makes them feel like high drama. Honestly, I felt like I knew these people. Even though I'm in my 40s rather than my 60s, there wasn't a single moment where I felt excluded from the experience. Whether it's the anxiety of a first date or the crushing weight of a quiet house, the play taps into a universal nerve of what it means to be human and seeking connection.

The cast is absolutely stellar across the board. Kevin N Golding brings an effortless magnetism to Alec, a divorced black cab driver navigating the terrifying world of modern dating while confronting his own vulnerability. Then there's James Holmes, who delivers what is arguably the night's most poignant performance. His portrayal of Jack, a newly widowed HIV+ gay man talking to the partner he lost after 35 years, is deeply inward, finely felt, and had me reaching for the tissues.

But for me, it was Tessa Peake-Jones as Lynn who stole the show. Her characterisation was impeccable. She starts with a finely measured timidness that is so painfully believable, but watching her character arc is a total joy. Seeing her find a surprising way to make extra money (let's just say she finds an unexpected second life as an online dominatrix!) and finally make friends and let her hair down was the absolute highlight of the night.

Scott Le Crass's minimalist direction is spot-on, proving you don't need a rotating stage and lots of spectacle to create magic. With just those three chairs and some really clever, subtle lighting design, the staging pulls you right into their orbit. It's a deeply human, optimistic, and witty piece of theatre that leaves you feeling a little less invisible yourself.

INVISIBLE ME continues performances until Saturday 2nd May. Click here to check availability and 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 Invisible Me 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:

Kevin N Golding as Alec; James Holmes as Jack; Tessa Peake-Jones as Lynn

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 20 minutes, with no interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Strong language; Scenes of a sexual nature; References to domestic abuse, drug taking, homophobia, and bereavement

AGE RECOMMENDATION:

16 +

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