Picture: Johan Persson
Manic Street Creature continues at the Kiln Theatre, London until 28 March 2026.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
The first line of the script reads ‘The band are a family, The audience are our friends, breathe with the music’ and this is exactly how this production feels.
I was lucky enough to see the last run of Manic Street Creature in 2023 at Southwark Playhouse and the intimate personal touch of the staging has not been lost.
While Maimuna Memon’s vocals are worth the price of the ticket itself, her storytelling is also truly captivating – her stage presence is both spellbinding and raw as she takes us on the tumultuous journey of her first love.
We are transported to a recording studio as Ria records an album with her band, telling her story as a singer-songwriter who moves to London from Lancashire to pursue her dreams and in turn loses herself in an all-consuming relationship.
There is no denying that Memon is immensely talented – her songs deserve to be at the top of the charts, and she has bucket loads of star power, not only as a performer but as a writer. In addition to winning an Oliver Award last year for her role in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, she was nominated in 2023 for Standing at the Sky’s Edge and has just completed a National Theatre writing placement. Her talent knows no end.
Memon tackles important themes in an area often overlooked – not just the experience of a person living with a serious mental health condition but placing the focus on the person who loves them the most and are most affected. Ria states “someone else’s trauma can be traumatising”.
Her troubled relationship with her father made her feel “too young to feel so old” and it this feeds into her need to “fix” loved ones. She addresses how mental health is treated in society, with one support line worker commenting “he doesn’t sound suicidal”, caring more about a person’s NHS number rather than their mental state.
Memon’s writing dives deeply into co-dependency relationships – the overwhelming aspect of feeling entirely responsible for someone else, like a human medicine, and then feeling empty and abandoned when their dependency is stabilised with real pills.
Ria questions her daring chosen pathway into the arts, her move to London from the North to pursue her musical dreams in a big city. While those back home build stable lives for themselves, Ria remains “earning below the tax threshold”.
Manic Street Creature’s musical blend of folk, indie-pop and soul music are hauntingly electrifying, sending chills down the spine.
‘Set This House On Fire’ has been on my Spotify playlist for years and is particularly harrowing and alive. The opening song, ‘On My Way’, captures Memon’s optimism for a new life and ‘Insomnia’ presents the first warning signs in her relationship. Her voice is so versatile, she feels like she’s created an entire orchestra just with her voice, while the lyrics are beautifully poetic. Memon seamlessly transfers her focus from one instrument to another, without taking a single moment to catch her breathe.
The story comes from one perspective and thus emphasises Ria’s feelings of utter helplessness and isolation. Libby Watson’s minimal set of a sofa and rug, and the low lighting (designed by Jessica Hung Han Yun) of the recording studio, help to portray a life viewed from one perspective.
Rachel Barnes hilariously plays Heidi, an unimpressed cat cafe owner and a prying therapist. Along with Sam Beveridge as Finn and Harley Johnston as Raz, the three-strong band offer fantastic accompaniment, perfectly complementing Memon’s stunning harmonies.
This is a hugely engaging and important piece of insightful theatre, directed by Kirsty Patrick Ward, opening up discussions on mental health and shedding light on those who are overlooked. While society usually places a focus on the individual dealing with bipolar disorder, those providing the support are often forgotten.
Memon triumphs in articulating a tale of true despair and hope.
Marina Holmes
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