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180⁰ Chord

 
Max Allen Review by Max Allen 3 Published: 14 Jan 2026 Greenwich Theatre Show Dates: 5 Jan 2026-18 Jan 2026

Prison-cell dramas have long proven a gift that keeps on giving in modern cinema and theatre. The best of these demonstrate exactly what works theatrically and what does not. 180° Chord, originally written as a novel before being adapted for the stage, raises compelling questions about culpability and consequence, but struggles to make a satisfying leap from page to performance. It leans heavily on exposition and misses opportunities to use the uniquely visceral tools of live theatre.

Raises compelling questions but struggles to make the leap from page to performance

The play follows Detective John Gray (Paul Findlay), now incarcerated alongside Connor (Dominic Thompson), a man he once arrested. Through flashbacks, monologues and diatribes, we learn that Gray’s son, who suffered from mental illness, died as a direct result of Gray’s decision to imprison Connor rather than allow him to see the child before sentencing. All of this unfolds against the backdrop of a developing prison riot. Forced from cell to cell as a gang hunts Gray down, Connor seizes the chance to exploit his guilt and offer false hope.

On paper, the plot is rich. It grapples with responsibility, punishment and the psychological contortions that occur when justice and vengeance blur. It is clear that playwright, director and novelist Chris Leicester brings intelligence and craft to his writing, but the script is significantly overwritten. The dialogue is equal parts florid and philosophical. Characters sit and explain rather than act, leaving the production feeling oddly static.

Stakes that should be sky high instead feel subdued. Scene transitions and flashbacks unfold without clarity or rhythm, giving the play a stitched-together quality that undercuts momentum. The soundscape, which should underscore chaos beyond the cell walls, is used sparingly and inconsistently. Bursts of shouting or clanging arrive only when the script requires them. A persistent sound bed rising and falling with the threat outside would have provided tension and dread. Instead, the prison riot feels distant and abstract. The most baffling cue comes after the interval, when sentimental music swells in from nowhere, evoking a Netflix teen drama rather than a violent uprising.

The intermission arrives barely thirty minutes into the show, which feels jarringly early for a production billed at two hours and ten minutes. Mercifully, the runtime landed closer to ninety minutes, though the pacing still dragged.

There is merit in the performances. Thompson is particularly compelling, and both actors clearly understand their characters’ emotional lives. Yet the production rarely allows them to interact meaningfully. The essential cat-and-mouse psychology that makes prison drama crackle – the shifting dominance and unspoken threats – is almost entirely absent. Instead, the show often feels like someone reading a novel aloud.

I would be keen to read Leicester’s original book, where his dense language and introspection could breathe. But as a play, 180° Chord needs sharper dramaturgy, a stronger sense of danger, and a willingness to let theatricality rather than exposition carry the story.

Amir Nisi

Max Allen

Max Allen is an award-winning writer and performer whose acclaimed work has been staged across the UK and Europe. His debut play, FRAT, played to sold-out audiences in London and at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He has a keen interest in emerging theatre, which continues to inspire and inform his own creative practice.

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The Blurb:

You're the pride of the police force but fate intervenes and suddenly you're in the same prison you sent your scalps to.News of your arrival spreads, the riot starts and they come looking for you.A fellow inmate hides you and you flee together.But why is he protecting you exactly?Soon you’ll find out as your past life comes back to haunt you.

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