If you’ve ever lost an evening doom‑scrolling through Instagram Reels or TikTok, you’ll know how baffling the online world has become. But, between the dance trends and shopping hauls lurks something far more insidious, and Top G’s Like Me, Samson Hawkins’ new play, digs into the troubling rise of social‑media figures shaping the behaviour of young men.
Royal & Derngate’s Derngate auditorium has been impressively reconfigured for the production. The space is split, seating audiences opposite each other while a detailed skate park, inspired by a real one in Northampton, dominates the centre. It’s framed by an LED rig that cleverly blurs the line between real life and the relentless digital worlds pulling at these characters’ attention.
This is where we meet Aidan. After a shift at Morrisons, he practises scooter tricks while trying to perfect a Yum Yum filled with peanut butter and jam. Yet his focus keeps slipping; social media interrupts at every turn. A large ensemble of Third Year BA Acting students from the University of Northampton bring the torrent of online videos to life, their energetic vignettes giving the production a chaotic, contemporary pulse.
Like countless young men across the UK, Aidan feels forgotten. He has dreams, but has decided he has no option but to live by the mantra “believe in yourself… within reason”. As he cares for his sick mother and prepares for the imminent departure of his childhood friend Mia, played with warmth and nuance by Fanta Barrie, Aidan’s internal world grows increasingly fragile. Daniel Rainford is particularly compelling in the role, shifting between frustration, bravado and vulnerability with striking emotional clarity.
One swipe on his phone introduces him to Hugo Bang, a swaggering online personality trading in toxic masculinity, misogyny and performative hate. Danny Hatchard, dressed in a satanic red suit, plays him with unsettling charm. You look forward to his appearances even as you recoil from his rhetoric. Hawkins’ script convincingly shows how such men accrue power as the ‘Top Gangster’: leading “gangs” of followers they will never meet, yet influence profoundly.
Although billed as a comedy, Top G’s Like Me ultimately lands most effectively as a drama. It sharply exposes how disillusioned young men can be drawn into warped worldviews that provide convenient scapegoats: women, government, alcohol, anything except themselves.
One of the production’s most arresting visual sequences comes when the ensemble morphs into Hugo Bang lookalikes, swarming the auditorium with a menacing sense of omnipresence. It’s a chilling embodiment of the suffocating reach of online influencers, and one of the most memorable images of the night.
Hawkins also threads class into the narrative. Aidan’s upbringing suggests deprivation, and his only other companion at the skate park is Dave, played with gruff sensitivity by David Schaal, who stands in stark contrast to Hugo Bang by taking full responsibility for his own missteps. Mia’s new boyfriend Charlie, superbly played by Finn Samuels, adds another dimension: a young man from a more privileged background who nonetheless finds himself susceptible to the same digital pull.
Under Jesse Jones’ direction, Top G’s Like Me is energetic and visually engaging, particularly when Rory Beaton’s lighting flashes across the ramps. While the play takes place over the course of a summer, the storytelling occasionally moves through it a little too quickly, compressing time in a way that slightly softens the impact of Aidan’s steady unravelling. Still, Jones expertly balances momentum with stillness, giving space to the more delicate, reflective scenes.
This short Royal & Derngate run showcases Hawkins’ talent and marks something of a home‑turf success. With a strong cast and an enthusiastic student ensemble, and in an age when algorithms speak louder than parents, teachers or friends, Top G’s Like Me is a timely reminder of how quickly the wrong voice online can become the loudest one in your head.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
