For those of us who were lucky enough to usher in the new millennium in the holiest of places, the nightclub dancefloor, Danielle Phillips’ debut play Children of the Night at Southwark Playhouse offers a nostalgic and often deeply touching look back at a time that feels both recent and impossibly distant.
Phillips stars as Lindsay, a teenager proudly shaped by her Doncaster upbringing and a single father who has done his level best to educate her in rave culture. The play charts the final three years of the nineties, from Lindsay and her best mate Jen (Charlotte Brown) making their first pilgrimage to Donny’s most famous nightclub, Karisma, through to the arrival of Y2K.
Set in a town decimated by Thatcher, and which in 1998 became the site of the UK’s first heterosexual HIV cluster, Children of the Night could easily sit within the realm of ‘gritty Northern drama’. Yet it achieves far more by honouring the town itself and the people who call it home.
Anyone familiar with Doncaster will revel in the many references to local landmarks, from Mothercare Corner to Yates’s, and the cast of three are bolstered by a vocal ensemble of Doncaster voices. Phillips has, quite deliberately, ensured the town (which has subsequently achieved City status) is the true star of the show.
The storytelling cleverly spans three years, each feeling like a distinct act. As in life, we witness repetition in the characters’ actions from one year to the next, but we also see them grow and adapt as time passes and circumstances beyond their control intervene. Phillips’ writing pulses with lyrical beauty; whether in moments of comedy (of which there are plenty) or in moments of sadness and grief, the text grips its audience.
Gareth Radcliffe plays Lindsay’s dad, Terry, providing a strong contrast to the two younger characters. Though Terry adopts a somewhat laissez faire approach to parenting, the love between father and daughter is unmistakable. One of the most touching scenes comes in the simple moment when Terry tells Lindsay he is proud of her, and it is the journey to that point that leaves the audience’s hearts melting.
Phillips and Brown share compelling chemistry as the best mates whose stories begin together but are destined for very different paths. Much of the comedy comes from Brown’s wonderfully pitched portrayal of Jen, especially in an early scene where the teenagers embark on their first pub crawl, attempting to blag free drinks from unsuspecting blokes.
Phillips also delivers some sharp comedic zingers, and her high octane performance is a marvel. But it is in the quieter, more emotionally charged scenes that she truly shines. Her committed performance amplifies this moving tribute to Doncaster and its people.
Hannah Sibai’s set design works impressively within Southwark Playhouse’s smallest space. A tiered structure that evokes both the family home and Karisma’s infamous staircase allows near constant movement across the stage. In the club scenes, it bursts with neon colour and, paired with the thrum of nineties anthems, transports the audience back to a pivotal cultural moment.
Children of the Night is more than a love letter to Doncaster. It is an homage to a period of time and the people who defined it. Beautifully written and powerfully performed, this is a triumph of Northern storytelling.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
