The Children’s Inquiry – Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Picture: Alex Powell

The Children’s Inquiry continues at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, London until 3 August 2024.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

London clearly has a surplus of talented young performers. A few Bakerloo stops south of those amazing West End youngsters blowing audiences away in Matilda, Frozen, The Lion King, etc., Southwark Playhouse’s new show boasts two ten-strong casts of child performers. On the evidence presented at this performance Lung Theatre’s The Children’s Inquiry, every single member of these casts is utterly incredible.

The Children’s Inquiry is a fascinating musical. It tells the story of young people’s social work provision in the UK on both the macro and micro level. We are presented with real case studies alongside the development of social services throughout history, all told through the actual words of those on the front line. We hear from social workers, politicians, and most powerfully from those children who have been through the system themselves.

The most obvious point of reference for this sort of ‘verbatim’ musical theatre is the National Theatre’s London Road, which was later made into an excellent film. Those familiar with the lyrical rhythms of that piece will feel at home here, though the score by Owen Crouch and Clementine Douglas branches out far more widely.

The predominant sound is a delicious dance-pop confection, but as we move through history, we are treated to pastiches of a wide range of period-specific styles. The musical arrangements of Allyson Devenish and Kate Marlais are superb, and quite demanding on the young cast. Some are given moments in the spotlight to show off their impressive riffs and runs, but all are called upon for impressive choral harmonies.

This show is an incredible showcase of the breadth of these young performers’ talents, with some particularly standing out as exceptional at comedy, acting, dancing, or vocals. It is a testament to their abilities that they largely avoid the “devised GCSE drama piece” vibes to which many children-led shows dealing with serious issues can fall victim.

With so many fascinating ingredients, it’s easy to understand why this show runs to the best part of three hours (including interval). However, a trim here and there might be what the show needs to succeed on a grander scale. After all, the creators’ aim is to bring these words and this message to as wide an audience as possible.

The piece rightly demands that children’s voices are heard. As tale after tale cascades upon us, the sheer power of this raw material is undeniable, but this is an epic length for a show without a clear epic narrative to justify it. Instead of a Hamilton or Les Mis-style story to hook us in, The Children’s Inquiry’s vignette structure can get a bit predictable and repetitive. We are introduced to a moment in time, we get some fun lip sync and choreo and then a song before we are whisked to the next memorable news item.

Having said that, The Children’s Inquiry is by no means a slog. This is partly due to the superb work of director Matt Woodhead (who also put together the book and lyrics with Helen Monks), choreographer Alexzandra Sarmiento, and lighting designer Will Monks. Another major factor is, of course, the ridiculous talent on display from the cast – this show is a feat of memorisation, vocals, dance, and physicality on a par with anything performed by adults in the West End right now, and every one of these young performers more than rise to the occasion. Worthy and important as it is, it is also an exhilarating watch.

However, the piece’s greatest asset is its source material. Yes, on an intellectual level of course we know that we should listen to the voices of those most affected by our country’s political choices, but how often do we make the time to do that?

This musical is an electrifying line directly from our country’s most unfairly treated children to us. Its message would be powerful enough written down – and indeed, the script is available as a book next to the surprisingly affordable wine and Taytos crisps at the Southwark Playhouse bar – but as a piece of musical theatre, it is something else. It has been five years in the making already, and in a few more, after some careful pruning, this show is certain to be making waves in mainstream theatreland, and making change in our country.

Ian Bowkett