I Love You Mum, I Promise I Won’t Die – Jack Studio Theatre, Brockley

Reviewer: Christine Stanton

Writer: Mark Wheeller

Director: Elliot Montgomery

“Powerfully Poignant”

3.5 / 5

~This review was originally written for The Reviews Hub ~

“I love you mum, I promise I won’t die” were the last words of 16-year-old Daniel Spargo-Mabbs to his mother, the same night he tragically died after taking ecstasy at an illegal rave. This emotionally powerful production is a verbatim play, solely telling his story through the words of his family and friends.

Writer Mark Wheeller has taken this heartbreaking true story of a young boy who made a bad decision and pieced it together to create an emotional tribute to him and his family. The aim of the production is also a plea to stop others from needlessly losing their lives in the same way, encouraging young people to stop and research before making decisions that have potentially huge impacts on themselves and their loved ones.

David Chafer performs as the writer of the play, an interesting addition from Wheeller and director Elliot Montgomery, that extends the story outside of the events leading up to and directly after the rave. Chafer is shown as interviewing the rest of the cast in their roles as family members and friends, which helps to add motivation to the original idea and objective behind the production. In addition to the cast performing, there are also occasional video excerpts played between scenes, showing Dan’s family discussing the events themselves, as well as a deeply moving montage of Dan himself, which really helps the audience connect even further with his story.

Sean Radford truly shines as an outstanding performer, portraying emotion as Dan’s brother Jacob and best friend Jack incredibly, with genuine believability. Cobie Scott-Ward and Alex Colley are impressive with their depiction of Dan’s parents, capturing their mannerisms and energy shown in the video footage very well. Amy Zoldan also plays a variety of roles, most notably Dan’s girlfriend, showcasing both strength and vulnerability in her portrayals.

This is a powerfully poignant show that does Dan’s story justice. While the subject matter is undeniably sad, the creative team have done a great job of injecting life and love into each of the characters to keep Dan’s memory alive.

Runs until 17 June 2023