Still wearing the frantic sweat of a night spent rushing between events, I found myself ducking into the ever-reliable King’s Arms in Salford. This is a venue where the air always feels thick with the exact kind of history and low-lit tension required for a story about messy lives. Kings presents in house production of Boys by Ella Hickson certainly delivers on that promise. Set in a university flat share in Edinburgh, the room feels charged before a single line is even spoken. We are dropped into a city under siege by bin strikes and riots, which serves as a fittingly rotting backdrop for a group of young men whose own lives are starting to smell a bit off. It is a play about the paralysis of being young with the whole world in front of you but no desire to actually step out into it. Instead, these characters choose to marinate in a cocktail of drugs, drink, and a very specific, sharp brand of pain.
The choice of venue is no accident. The King’s Arms has long been a spiritual home for the bohemian and the brave, but lately it feels like it is carving out a fresh identity as a vital community hub for young creatives. While other spaces might feel clinical or out of reach for emerging talent, this Bloom Street staple offers a gritty, accessible playground where new graduates and local artists can actually take risks. It is a place that fosters a genuine sense of belonging by acting as a bridge between university life and the professional industry. By providing a stage for debut shows and experimental fringe work, it is building a supportive ecosystem where young people can fail, fly, and find their voice amongst their peers.
Director Oli Hurst clearly knows his influences and he wears them like a badge of honour. As a lifelong lover of dystopian theatre, I was right at home with the aesthetic here. The production is heavily steeped in the DNA of Trainspotting to the point that you can almost smell the stale beer and chemical desperation through the floorboards. There are also distinct nods to the stylised violence of A Clockwork Orange, giving the flat the feeling of a bunker where the outside world only intrudes through flashes of light and the distant roar of a city in chaos.
The strength of this production lies in its casting. Paddy Stafford as Timp is absolutely magnetic, playing the character with the reckless, frantic energy of a man refusing to grow up. He spends the first twenty minutes in his boxers and commands the stage with a raw physical energy and what can only be described as “thighs of thunder.” Beside him, Olly Rhodes as Benny provides the soul of the show. He portrays a heartbreakingly childlike behaviour trapped inside a man’s body. The tragic death of Benny’s brother serves as the dark underpinning for the entire household, anchoring the awkward relationship between Sophie (Megan Keaveny) and Mack (Rafe Slade).
Despite the visceral nature of the performance, the play isn’t without its challenges. Hickson’s script is a beast and the overlapping narratives can make it difficult to keep your head above water. Occasionally the staging at the King’s Arms felt a bit rag-tag, lacking the razor-sharp precision needed for high-octane fights. Yet Boys remains a punchy look at a forgotten generation. It is loud, sweaty, and unapologetically honest.
Canal Street VIP card holders receive a 15% discount at the bar.
https://www.fatsoma.com/p/the-kings-arms
By James
For Canal Street Media