Rating * * * *
Aron Julius delivered a debut masterpiece with Conteh.
Not only did this versatile and talented actor deliver a stunning performance in the title role of the ‘troubled’ Liverpool boxer he also wrote the entire play.
Julius, clearly had trained excessively to match the boxer’s physique in his ‘hey day’ and ring moves ensuring that the play was believable from a professional boxing perspective. Julius and Director Mark Womack were clearly a fans of the infamous John Conteh – who appeared on stage at the end of the play on press night, to a rousing reception from the audience – as they extended a selective creative licence whilst delivering the narrative with a major positive slant placed on the boxer’s personal life. For many of us who were around at the time and followed the career trajectory and demise, an overtly positive glow down-played the extent of his alcohol addiction, unsavoury antics locally in particular, and nuisance behaviours in bars and nightclubs around the world that ultimately led to Conteh’s downfall.
The acting was superb from the entire cast – Aron Julius, Amber Blease, Helen Carter, Zach Levene and Mark Moraghan. This was an utterly entertaining and engaging play from start to finish. The set design was also impressive.
This is a play not to be missed and will be available until 9th May 2026.
To book:
Synopsis:
10 years old and fighting out of a club in Kirkby. 19 years old and winning gold at the Commonwealth Games. 24 years old and becoming the light heavyweight champion of the World. But that’s only half the story.
In the 1970s and 80s,John Conteh was one of the best-known people in the city. He lived the highest of high lives and wrung every ounce of pleasure from his sporting success. A friend to many, perhaps too many, and some were quick to take advantage.
This was a tremendous play, captivating, engaging and utterly enjoyable! Both Kym Marsh (Hedy) and Lisa Faulkner (Allie) delivered a solid performance
Rating: * * * This is a difficult review for me as having read and devoured James M Cain’s original 1943 novel
History doesn’t always arrive with fanfare. Sometimes it slips in quietly, through a half-open window, carrying something far more dangerous. This May,
The Broken Spine is a poetry and arts collective proudly published on the coastal edge of North-West England. Founded in 2019 by Alan Parry and Paul Robert Mullen – two school friends reunited after twenty years through a mutual love of poetry.
