Children Of The Night – 5 February 2026, Cast, Doncaster
Review by Claire Stanley.
‘Children of the Night’ has been promoted as a “Love Letter to Doncaster” which I received and read with full appreciation. It is a striking, atmospheric piece of theatre set in the 1990’s that weaves visual story telling, emotional nuance, and social commentary into a compelling kitchen sink drama. As a Donny Lass myself who climbed the many, many (many!) stairs of the iconic Karisma nightclub back in the day, I was transported right back not only to the sounds and atmosphere of said club, -but to DTC itself. No mention of Donny is complete without a reference to ‘Open All Hours’ either and the main character ‘Lindsay’ weaves those local references into her narration like a vocalised map of Doncaster Town Centre. The plot plays out as a three hander with ‘Terry’, Lindsay’s dad being the emotional hook and background to Lindsay’s nightlife chapter. Lindsay’s best friend ‘Jen’ provides the solidarity, peer humour and friendship and although those two characters occupy most of the performance, Lindsay’s dad is crucial to all three acts. Terry (played by Gareth Radcliffe) is depicted as a typically warm northerner. He takes his Dad role seriously, in that he cares deeply for Lindsay and often shows his affection by sharing his menthol ciggies. Radcliffe has a magnetic presence (giving Stephen Graham vibes) and he portrays working class parentage perfectly. Lindsay and Jen’s friendship is very believable and Phillips has the ability to draw you into those relationships with the high quality of her creation.
Phillips’s tribute to Doncaster is detailed. It is reflective of that post Thatcher era, which was synonymous with other cities too, only those places were not labelled as the “HIV of the North”. Children of the Night deals with this really well, it does not shy away from it. Historically the scare of HIV for heterosexuals cast a gloomy cloud over the youth of that time and such links with nightlife culture are stark. In her writing Phillips provides her acting self a great volume of narration and rhyming verse in the soliloquy sections. These are peppered with scenes involving Terry and Jen and we see regular glimpses of how young people value their close friends, whilst at the same time battle for personal growth too. Phillips captures the excitement of youth, the novelty of those first nights out clubbing and the downside of it all. Club and taxi queues – too long! The highs, – consumption of alcohol shots and other beverages with abandon, -(so very easy to down, pre Age Thirty!) These are marked true to life in the script and the vigour and enthusiasm that Lindsay has for all of this is nimbly offered to us. Later in the story, contrastingly, Linsday experiences her downward days. These are performed with poignancy and pathos and I was moved as Terry’s life is met with poor health, making Lindsay act out of fear but with courage.
Throughout this whole piece, the device of local radio and DJ sounds are employed expertly to provide extra voices to the narrative. The nineties songs chosen are classics, (for example “What is Love” by Haddaway, “Things Can Only Get Better”, D_Ream and the exemplary “Rhythm of the Night” – Corona. This is in harmony with Disco-esque lighting which is appropriate and not too arresting, so credit must go to Jessie Addinall for this. The set is devised of Modular staging (platforms) and the two females display great energy using said platforms to move up and down repeatedly. Not for the unfit! Congratulations to Jennifer Kay on such circular but never dull movement direction. With limited scenery, such staging can be exposing but all three cast members Phillips, Radcliffe and Charlotte Brown as Jen, rise to it. They never once drop the ball, giving animated clear projection, keeping the audience by their side from beginning to end. A shout out to the ‘Prop of the Night’! A bottle of 20/20. If you know, you know.
Finally, it must be said that through the direction of Kimberley Sykes, this piece resonates highly with any northerner or indeed theatre go-er. Sykes finds a fine balance between the production’s darker undercurrents and its flashes of warmth and hope, ensuring the story never feels overwhelmed by its heavier themes. Overall, Children of the Night is a bold, thoughtful, and artistically confident production. It showcases Danielle Phillips’ talent for storytelling and Kimberley Sykes’ skill in crafting theatre that is both visually rich and emotional. The result is an experience that lingers long after the final club track—haunting, hopeful, and undeniably powerful. Children of the Night has begun it’s run until 14th February. It is placed in it’s perfect geographical and fictional home – Doncaster’s Cast Theatre, in their Second Space studio. Donny always did offer a great night out.
