REVIEW: TELL ME STRAIGHT @ KING'S HEAD THEATRE

🎭 Tell Me Straight

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

🗓 Monday 19th October 2026

⭐️ 4 Stars

A CAROUSEL OF COMEDIC CHAOS

As a huge supporter of both fringe and queer theatre, it was an absolute joy to be invited to the King's Head Theatre yesterday where they have a killer queer double bill running, and first up on the slab is the return of Paul Bradshaw’s TELL ME STRAIGHT. If you missed its previous outings - as I did - let me tell you, it’s well worth the catch-up.

The premise is something anyone who has ever waded through the murky waters of queer dating apps - or pined after a straight boy (haven't we all been there?) - will instantly vibe with. We follow Him - played with a beautifully chaotic, hyper-relatable energy by Bradshaw himself - as he navigates a dizzying carousel of hookups. The catch is that every single one of these men swears up and down that they are totally, completely, 100% straight. Right!

What makes the writing so bloody good is that it doesn’t just settle for cheap laughs about closeted lads and bad Tinder etiquette. Bradshaw’s script is fast-paced, semi-autobiographical, and balances its razor-sharp wit with a genuine, bruising wallop of realism. It captures that heavy emotional hangover of modern dating, where you’re constantly decoding mixed signals and dealing with the casual, internalised baggage of men who want the intimacy but refuse the label. It’s painfully authentic because it refuses to look at that universal experience through a safe, sepia-toned lens. Instead it shows the exhausting, daily friction of trying to find validation in spaces and people that aren't built to give it to you.

Everything felt very truthful to me, not least because in my late teens and early twenties, I was always attracted to a straight boy!

But let’s talk about the sheer theatrical alchemy that keeps this realistic carousel spinning: Elliott Rogers. Playing the collective object of Him's fixation, Rogers is tasked with the monumental job of multi-rolling as Matt, Ryan, and Lee - and a few sneaky others too!

When done well, I am a huge fan of multi-rolling, and boy, does Rogers deliver a masterclass in versatility. Multi-rolling in a tight 70-minute comedy-drama can easily devolve into a sketch-show caricature, but Rogers grounds every single one of these men in a distinct reality. With the flick of a posture, a slight shift in vocal cadence, or a change in how he holds his phone, he jumps between entirely different personas seamlessly. He captures the specific nuances of each hookup - from the overly defensive lad to the quietly conflicted romantic - without ever dropping the play's breakneck momentum.

The stage chemistry between Bradshaw's vulnerable, exasperated Him and Rogers' rotating door of straight-identifying foils is electric. Rogers provides the perfect, shifting canvas for Bradshaw to bounce off of, making the exhausting nature of the protagonist's detox journey feel both hilariously chaotic and deeply moving.

My only real nitpick (and this is probably me being over picky) is that the relentless speed of the vignettes means a couple of the secondary moments feel a bit fleeting, but the duo handles the quick-fire transitions with absolute class.

Ultimately, TELL ME STRAIGHT is a hilarious, biting, and delightfully messy slice of queer life that feels right at home in the King's Head's sleek space. It’s raw, it's funny, and it might just make you want to delete your dating apps the second the curtain falls.

Paul Bradshaw’s sharp, brutally funny, and painfully relatable queer comedy plays as part of a double bill at the King's Head Theatre until 14th November 2026. CLICK HERE to learn more and to book tickets.

Look out for my upcoming review of AGGY, the other play in this double bill, coming soon.

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 Tell Me Straight 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:

Paul Bradshaw as Him; Elliott Rogers as Matt / Ryan / Lee; Jade Anouka as Dani (voice)

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; Producer - SH Productions

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 10 minutes, with no interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Scenes of a sexual nature; Depictions of violence; Strong language

AGE GUIDELINE:

16+

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