Neill Kovacic-Clarke
- Jun 8
- 3 min read

REVIEW: LET LOOSE SID @ BARONS COURT THEATRE

🎭 Let Loose Sid

📍 Barons Court Theatre, 28a Comeragh Road, London, W14 9HR

🗓 Tuesday 28th May 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DARK BUT WITH HEART

Sid is starting to get his life together having moved off the street and into his own place. He has experienced much trauma in his life and at 21 years old, he still wets the bed. His mother has been in a coma for a while and his father has recently committed suicide.

Currently playing at Barons Court Theatre, LET LOOSE SID is a Broken Gods production and explores themes of grief, trauma and loneliness. This is a one man show which is written and directed by Callum McArthur and is acted by Louis Walwyn.

When Sid is given a box of his mothers possessions he finds her diary. Within the pages he discovers she was experimenting with the practice of lucid dreaming - the art of being aware in your dreams and being able to control the outcome.

Could this be the thing that helps Sid to manage his anxiety and trauma? He decides to try it and soon looks upon it as his superpower. The difficulty is exiting these dreams. Could it be that Sid's mother is not in a coma but rather trapped in a lucid dream?

The piece is engaging from the offset and uses brilliant and subtle lighting and sound effects to enhance the storytelling. The writing is exquisite and is sublimely acted by Walwyn. His interactions with his superhero figures are charming and the way he invites you into his soul and lays out his insecurities is endearing.

Sid is obviously a lonely and damaged individual, living with the trauma of domestic abuse, losing his father and the current situation with his mother. Hard hitting at times LET LOOSE SID speaks honestly and openly about these aspects of the character and never tries to sugar coat the situation.

The scene depicting the father's suicide is breathtakingly powerful and really stops you in your tracks, as a universal chill caresses the audience.

As part of the story Walwyn multi-roles, depicting not only Sid but his father and his boss too. He does this seamlessly and never loses the audience whilst doing so. A testament to the quality of both the writing and the acting.

This play comments on todays society and really shows how one act of kindness can literally save someone's life. It definitely leaves a lasting impression on you. This is the first piece of work from Broken Gods and it makes me excited to see what they will produce in the future.

As well as being an intense piece of theatre which discusses important themes, this play also has the audience laughing along with the character and creates a wonderful balance between darkness and humorous.

Walwyn gave his all to the role and I'm sure this young actor is going to have a wonderful career ahead of him. He was completely believable as he fully commited to telling the story with his entire being.

LET LOOSE SID continues its run at Barons Court Theatre until Saturday 8th July. Click here for 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 Let Loose Sid was gifted by Broken Gods 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.