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Monkeyface

 
Richard Beck Review by Richard Beck 2 Published: 10 Jul 2026 Riverside Studios Show Dates: 6 Jul 2026-21 Jul 2026

A startling Star Wars opening, with the Genesis creation story reframed around the origins of Oxford University, rapidly becomes a far less spectacular bedsit drama in Monkeyface at Riverside Studios, directed by Mojola Akinyemi.

There is nothing new about this story

The Oxford connection and Freshers' Week disappear as the focus shifts to time spent in a queer student's "box room", his chats with the neighbours and his encounters on club nights. He asserts from the outset that he feels misled. "They say your time at university is the best three years of your life. But I feel like I'm wasting mine scrolling through my phone and missing out." We see plenty of evidence that gives rise to the unsympathetic thought that maybe, if he got off his backside and did something, his situation might improve. Whether or not he is dealing with what might constitute significant mental health issues remains unclear, but depression is certainly on the horizon, and all that screen-tapping turns out to be a form of therapy.

According to an interview in QX magazine, this appears to be a semi-autobiographical play rooted in the experience of writer and performer Raphael Phillips before he dropped out of his course, where he experienced "classism sugar-coated with racism". His antidote was to record material in his Notes app. Within two weeks he had "over 500 notes: sentences, fragments, and phrases pulled straight from my depressed mind", he says. From that untidy collection he then forged the first draft of Monkeyface.

There is nothing new about this story, which does little more than relate the plight of yet another young person in search of meaning, purpose and social acceptance. He finds support in some areas and rejection in others. His visits to Heaven nightclub expose what he sees as the rift between black and white people and the difficulties of breaking down barriers.

Stories people tell usually have points of interest, and other people's experiences are worth listening to, but they do not necessarily make for gripping theatre.

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The Blurb:

Trapped within the four walls of a university bedroom, ‘Monkeyface’ navigates the euphoric highs and crushing lows of Freshers Week, toxic friendships, club culture, and the aching need for connection. What begins as something relatable (flatmates, cliques, and the messy thrill of queer nightlife) slowly unravels into a raw portrait of a young Black Gay student fighting to stay afloat inside a world not built to hold him.