Gerry and Sewell review: The Aldwych Theatre
- Maya
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
⭐⭐⭐1/2
Gerry and Sewell opened this week at the Aldwych Theatre for an exciting two-week run in London. This follows sold-out runs across the North East of England and comes four years after the show’s humble beginnings in a 60-seat North Tyneside pub theatre.
The production is set in 2019, during the final year of Mike Ashley’s ownership of Newcastle United. Gerry (Dean Logan) and Sewell (Jack Robertson) are two unemployed, penniless boys who set themselves the goal of saving £800 for Newcastle United season tickets. While the pair will do absolutely anything to make some cash, Gerry and his family are also constantly on the move, attempting to escape an abusive father they cannot seem to shake.
I should clarify that I am not a Newcastle United fan, and as a born-and-bred South Londoner, I am about as southern as you can get. Despite missing a lot of context, however, the show is still full of laughs, puppets, celebrity cameos, and a consistently well-executed breaking of the fourth wall. The musical numbers were fun, and the performances were strong throughout. Gerry and Sewell are a likeable duo, with Robertson’s comedic performance standing out as a clear highlight of the show. I would have rated the production three stars, but added the extra half because, in a crowd full of Geordies, the constant laughter and chatter made it clear just how beloved and familiar these characters are to many.
The weakest aspects of the show lie in how some elements fail to fully translate to a larger stage. There is also something disjointed with the show as a whole, as 60% of the production is light-hearted and funny, the serious subplot — and in the second half, perhaps the main plot — centred on abuse feels rather jarring alongside it. Both storylines leave something to be desired, and the show may have worked better had it leaned more fully into a serious tone with moments of humour, rather than the other way around, or by significantly downplaying the darker elements altogether.
Nevertheless, Gerry and Sewell was an entertaining evening, even for someone not particularly clued up on football or northern culture. At its heart, it is a hopeful story of two boys doing whatever they can to make life just that little bit better, which in some way or another, we can all relate to.
Cast: Starring original cast members Dean Logan, Jack Robertson and Becky Clayburn as Gerry, Sewell and Tyneside, alongside Erin Mullen as Bridget, Bill Fellows as Mr McCarten and Katherine Dow Blyton as Mrs McCarten.
Venue and dates: The Aldwych Theatre, 13-24 Jan 2026
Running time: 2 hours with an interval halfway
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