Riverside Studios, London – until 22nd February 2025
Reviewed by Celia Armand Smith
4****
What would you do if your whole life was built on the wobbly foundations of coming in second in the auditions for arguably the largest film franchise in history? Narrowly missing out on the role of Harry Potter at the age of ten, Martin is unable to escape what might have been. While attending an ultrasound appointment with his partner Sophie, he faints at the sight of his unborn child and suddenly he is forced to navigate the tortuous path that leads him to this moment. This is not simply the story of someone who didn’t get a role, but the complicated painting of a portrait of a young man who is falling apart at the seams, reliving various childhood traumas.
Second Best, written by Barney Norris, and based on the novel by David Foenkinos, is a funny and poignant exploration of what might have been. Norris unpacks the broken pieces that make up Martin with delicacy, care and humour, even if the storytelling is a bit simple and obvious at times. Under the direction of Michael Longhurst, Asa Butterfield (known most recently for Sex Education on Netflix) is wonderful in his stage debut. With excellent comedic timing and tiny adjustments in how he holds himself, Butterfield swiftly moves between characters and accents, creating a whole universe on the stage and filling the white space entirely.
Fly Davis’ set is a large expanse of white punctuated with props like a surrealist painting. A baked potato taped to the wall, an unmade hospital bed juts out precariously high above the stage, and packets of crisps tumble out of a newsagent wire rack. During a darker moment ash silently rains down from vents in the ceiling, creating large gloomy piles which are swept aside. Paule Constable’s lighting coupled with Richard Hammarton’s soundscape create a rounded world in which Martin’s past clouds his present.
There is a lot of relatability in Second Best, whether it’s a feeling of not being quite good enough, a life altering loss, or thinking you probably could have been in a Harry Potter film. Where the writing sometimes falters, the acting and clever direction more than make up for it in this poignant tale of missed opportunities, trauma, and ultimately hope.