The new show, written by and starring Jack Holden, has opened at London’s Duchess Theatre, directed by Bronagh Lagan. Every so often a show comes along and catches us completely by surprise, and new gay play Cruise, written during lockdown by the multi-talented Jack Holden, has just done exactly that.
It’s sort of a one-man show, although composer John Elliott also appears on stage throughout the production to perform the music live.
His presence adds a welcome extra depth to a number of scenes. The tale is told as a telephone call between Jack, a young gay man volunteering for Switchboard, and caller Mikey, an older man who recounts his stories of living through the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.