Leeds Playhouse – until Saturday 19th July 2025
Reviewed by Adam Craddock
5*****
Last night my partner and I found ourselves marching on together down to Leeds Playhouse to review Chris O’Connor’s play “Through It All Together”, a play storying Marcelo Bielsa’s time at Championship Leeds United through the eyes of a family coming to terms with a difficult new future for them with the dad suffering from early onset dementia. Straight off the bat I have to say that in my opinion this is the most accurate and touching portrayal of dementia that I have seen on stage. As someone who this awful disease has touched on a personal level I found myself at times with tears in my eyes remembering my loved one, both happy tears and not so happy ones. Chris O’Connor’s script has so many perfect little touches that would be truly appreciated by people who have experienced this, from the hobb being left on on the cooker in the night, the notes all around the house and that fear of being seen out while suffering from this disease, this was as true a tale as you are likely to see.
The cast of five were equally as impressive and mighty, taking this very sensitive subject material by the horns and managing to portray a beautiful and wholesome story not asking for sympathy, but full of love. Reece Dinsdale was masterful in the role of “Howard”, a Leeds United season ticket holder coming to terms with his diagnosis. Dinsdale portrayed the emotional rollercoaster perfectly, being full of joy cheering one second and then in an instant in complete floods of tears over what he was losing. The way he performed the memory issues was simply perfect, not feeling in the slightest bit overdone or immaculate. Simply put… perfection. Shobna Gulati was touching as “Sue”, Howard’s loyal wife. Just as Leeds mad as her husband (if not more), Gulati gave a performance that really reminded me of my own grandmother, never once wavering in her love for her husband despite slowly losing the old him. Natalie Davies was strong as “Hazel”, the daughter of Howard and Sue. I thought she handled the subject matter really well, and the scene where she came out to her father was truly touching. Dean Smith and Everal A. Walsh were both hilarious as their multiple characters, from the hosts of the Pale Ayling podcast to the hilarious portrayal of Victor Orta, they really lifted the mood and brought a bit of light into this production. Bravo to all!
The set was simple but spot on, a two tiered set, the lower part being the home of the family and the upper being used for various other scenes. I liked how they used the two tiers to spread the characters out in the stands of Elland Road and a particular favourite part of the set for me was the stained glass window of “saint” Marcelo Bielsa, I cracked up when I spotted this! The costume was effective, nothing extravagant needed for such a true story, although I did spot a mighty impressive kit in the corner flag cafe! The lighting and sound were both spot on, simple and effective.
Overall, I would highly recommend that you pick up this play while you can. The first thing I did when I left the theatre was pick up the phone to my mum and tell her she needed to see this, and I would give the same recommendation to all of you!