REVIEW: RON @ RIVERSIDE STUDIOS

🎭 Ron

📍 Studio 2, Riverside Studios, 101 Queen Caroline Street, London, W6 9BN

🗓 Tuesday 16th June 2026

⭐️ 2 Stars

A WORKSHOP IN DISGUISE

I have to admit, I walked into Riverside Studios tonight with a fair amount of trepidation. It has been a little while since I last stepped foot inside the Hammersmith venue, mostly because the recent productions I’ve caught here just haven’t really hit the mark for me. But with this show marking a massive milestone - the very first in-house co-production for Riverside Studios Productions as the arts centre celebrates its 50th anniversary - I was genuinely full of hope. I wanted RON to be the show to finally break the curse.

Unfortunately, the omens weren't great from the off. Stepping into Studio 2, I was greeted by a weird, distinctly stale smell in the auditorium. Little did I know at the time, but that heavy atmosphere would end up becoming the perfect metaphor for the evening ahead.

The play follows a fictional stand-up comedian named Tony - played by the show's writer Ted Walliker - as he tries to deliver a routine about life, love, and friendship. However, the performance quickly derails as Tony becomes consumed by something else entirely, shifting away from standard comedy into an absurd, violent, and quite frankly bizarre exploration of unrequited love.

The main issue is that the show seems to have a real identity crisis. It doesn't quite know what it wants to be, and as a result, it spends the running time constantly chasing its own tail. The promotional tagline "this is not stand-up" perfectly describes how unfunny the piece actually is. It certainly tries, and there was some generous, polite laughter from a few audience members on the night, but the writing just isn't sharp enough. Personally, I never laughed once. It made for one of the longest hours I've sat through in a long time, and as much as I absolutely hate to say it, I was actually bored.

There were also some really strange creative choices littered throughout. For starters, why on earth was the handheld microphone not switched on? It’s true that Walliker was wearing a radio mic so we could hear him perfectly well, but surely having the stage mic live would have created a much better, more authentic atmosphere when he was speaking directly into it.

Then there was the use of shadow puppets, which just felt weird. Instead of being a meaningful creative choice to move the story forward, it felt like a desperate gimmick to make the show stand out from the crowd. At one point, Walliker disappeared from the stage completely, and I genuinely wondered whether I could make a mad dash for the exit without being noticed.

Despite all this criticism, there were a few minor saving graces that prevent this review from dropping down to a single star. Although the script itself didn't work for me, it is written in quite a poetic, lyrical way - even if it felt somewhat wasted here. The tech elements were also a highlight. The lighting and sound designs were actually quite good and did a lot of the heavy lifting to drive the narrative forward. Plus, the set reveal towards the end of the play was visually rather impressive.

Ultimately, though, RON feels less like a fully realised piece of professional theatre and more like a deeply personal passion project that hasn't quite been refined for a wider audience. It's a shame, as the 50th anniversary season deserves a triumph, but this one just didn't deliver. If I'm honest, it feels more like an early workshop presentation rather than the finished product.

The show continues performances until Sunday 5th July. If you want to make up your own mind about it then CLICK HERE to learn more about the production 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 person.

My ticket for this performance of Ron was gifted by ANRPR 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.

WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY:

Ted Walliker

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour, with interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Frequent bad language; Gunshots; Descriptions of violence, kidnap, and murder; Use of fake blood

AGE GUIDANCE:

15+

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