Hit Machine - Soho Theatre
- Sarah
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
★★★★
There's something wonderfully refreshing about Hit Machine. Jonathan Caren's new play tackles creativity, family tensions and the music industry with humour, honesty and plenty of sharp observations, without ever becoming preachy. What unfolds is about identity, ambition and the complicated relationships that shape us.
The story brings together two brothers whose lives have taken very different paths. When an exciting new collaboration with chart-topping artist Defy enters the picture, old resentments, buried emotions and clashing artistic ideals quickly rise to the surface. It's an intimate three-hander that feels surprisingly expansive, asking how much of ourselves we sacrifice when success starts calling.
Josh Radnor makes an assured London stage debut, bringing warmth and quiet frustration to a man trying to reconcile his past with the present. Noah Galvin provides an excellent counterbalance, delivering plenty of dry wit while revealing the vulnerability beneath his confidence. Their chemistry feels entirely believable, capturing the familiarity and friction that only siblings can produce.
The evening, however, belongs to Khalil Madovi. As Defy, he completely embodies every inch of his superstar status from the moment he steps on stage. Charismatic without trying too hard, magnetic yet approachable, he commands attention with effortless confidence. Madovi never looks like an actor pretending to be a music icon — he is one. His performance has an easy authenticity that anchors the entire production, and it's impossible to take your eyes off him. Given his impressive career across music, theatre and screen, it's little surprise that he brings such credibility, but this performance feels like another significant step forward.
Daniel Bailey directs with a confident touch, allowing the dialogue room to breathe while maintaining an engaging pace throughout. Amelia Jane Hankin's understated design keeps the focus firmly on the performances, with Laura Howard's lighting subtly shifting the mood as conversations become increasingly raw. Madovi also serves as sound designer, ensuring the original music by Ben Harper and CJ Harper integrates naturally into the storytelling rather than feeling like an interruption.
Although the play explores the mechanics of the music business, it's ultimately far more interested in the people behind the songs than the industry itself. The script occasionally leans a little heavily into its ideas, but its emotional honesty and well-observed humour more than compensate. At just the right moments it finds genuine laughs before pulling the audience back into the characters' personal struggles.
Hit Machine succeeds because it never forgets that behind every hit record is a human story. With three compelling performances, intelligent writing and one truly star-making turn from Khalil Madovi, this world premiere hits far more often than it misses.
Soho Theatre: 21 Dean Street, London W1D 3NE
Dates: 8 July – 15 August 2026
Running time: Approx. 90 minutes (no interval)
Cast: Josh Radnor, Noah Galvin, Khalil Madovi
Creative Team: Writer: Jonathan Caren
Original Music: Ben Harper & CJ Harper
Director: Daniel Bailey
Set & Costume Design: Amelia Jane Hankin
Lighting Design: Laura Howard
Sound Design: Khalil Madovi
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