Broken Legs Blog

Exploring the history and ramifications of Section 28, a local government act introduced in 1988 to banish the promotion of homosexuality in schools, Gary Clarke’s “Detention” combines multiple styles of dance with verbatim testimony that offers an insight into the difficulties faced by homosexuals in the 80s. Dancers (Gavin Coward, Alexandra Bierlaire, Alex Gosmore, Mayowa Ogunnaike, Imogen Wright) bring to life stories of those leading secret lives, living in fear of being caught out. Some characters fight back against the act, leading protests and joining marches, whilst others hide away, bullied and ashamed. Throughout it all, Lewey Hellewell narrates events, deftly switching characters from frightened homosexuals to enraged freedom fighters to the politicians and parents arguing that the act should be introduced. Hellewell provides a masterclass in multi-role, yet the production struggles to find stories compellingly different or new to anything we’ve seen before, and at just under 90 minutes, the show seems overly long with each segment a little too dragged out.

One of the highlights of the show is verbatim reproductions of calls to the Lesbian and Gay Switchboard, a helpline set up in the 80s for homosexuals to receive help, advice and comfort. Hellewell takes on the character of the caller, whilst local members of Nottingham’s LGBT+ community symbolise an anonymous listener at the switchboard. Some of these conversations (we only hear Hellewell’s side, and are not privy to the advice or information the caller received) are fascinating – we hear tales of those scared to reveal their true identity, abandoned by their families or scared after receiving a positive HIV test result – and yet they are also incredibly depressing. The show is fairly heavy throughout and struggles to find moments of light amidst the dark.

Thankfully, towards the end we are treated to a sweet scene of two young teenage girls who begin to have feelings for each other but are unsure whether to act on them. The dancers show this by continually moving towards each other, before pulling back – getting closer each time, certainly, but never quite touching. Until the point where one of the dancers has second thoughts and suddenly disappears from the stage together. This is a quieter moment in a production where the music is often loud and brash, the dance movements almost balletic in nature, and technically stunning. A remarkable moment that offers real character and heartbreak.

Not everything in this production works as well. A sequence focused on a young man dying of AIDs feels clunky and forced, re-treading ground that has been done with more depth and meaning elsewhere. The use of projected words in block capitals is effective but over-used, and the production labours each point it is trying to make, making the production feel slow and repetitive.

The show is a marvel to watch. Joshie Harriette’s light design sees a mix of strobe-effects and sweeping spotlights, before plunging the audience into darkness to allow certain aspects of the production to properly sink in before the next segment begins. The back wall is filled with video design from film-maker Kamal Macdonald, which features El Perry as Thatcher, voiced by Steven Nallon, watching over the dancers like a formidable omniscient presence. Torben Sylvest’s sound design is intense and in-your-face, yet it manages to combine a mixture of different music styles that makes each section feel unique and exciting.

There are moments in this show that will stay with me for a long time. Hellewell’s repetition of “there’s something I need to tell you” is delivered superbly, hammering home the sheer courage that it took for homosexuals in the 80s to come out, confiding in parents, siblings, grandparents, colleagues, friends, teachers, doctors, vicars. These moments of brilliance shine brightly in a production that otherwise feels full of motifs that have been done before, begging the question of what this show offers in the way of teaching us something new.

The production ends with Hellewell giving us a brief history of the 20 years that have passed since Section 28 was overturned, and the battles we still have yet to face, feeling perhaps more important than ever in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling on gender. And this is where the production struggles – it is so bleak and dismal in places that we long for a happy ending, and yet this production cannot give us one. Even the overturning of Section 28 is given a mock celebration. The production chooses to criticise those that silenced the LGBT+ community, rather than celebrate those that fought for it – and that makes the show feel joyless and empty.

Tom Morley, May 2025

For more information on how I decide on star ratings, see here: Star ratings – Broken Legs Blog

Review Round-up:

East Midlands Theatre: Review: Detention. Gary Clarke Company. – A whopping 5-star review from EMT who call this show “a visceral blend of movement and physical theatre that punches you in the gut and leaves you breathless”.

Elemental Theatre: Detention – Gary Clarke Company – Review 3 stars from ETC, who say that “while the production has moments of genuine poignancy, community interest and features a talented ensemble, its expansive scope occasionally undermines its narrative clarity“