SUTCo’s The Devil Went Down To Parliament – 12 March 2026, University Drama Studio
Review by Claire Stanley.
Tonight, at the University of Sheffield Drama Studio, I watched as ‘The Devil Went Down to Parliament’-written by Lilly Ryan. The production team consisted of Hannah Foster as Assistant Director and Production Manager, Associate Producer, JC and Producer Charley Sands. Slickly Stage Managed by Kate Fletcher and ably aided by Evie Middleton as Deputy with assistants Daniel Wood and Daniel Gains, this plot imagines what would happen if the Devil himself went to Westminster. It results in a lively blend of humour, social commentary and theatrical mischief. The play attempts to keep the audience entertained whilst quietly provoking thoughts about the state of modern politics. The character of Ernest (Eddie McLoughlin) gives this drama a very strong opening. McLoughlin projects with perfect volume and enunciation. The script aids his great start here as his monologue pokes fun at the North (which we Sheffield-ers are accustomed to!), delving into the concept of Armageddon and arguing that up North “it looks like it has been and gone!”
We are soon introduced to ‘Lucius’ the character of the Devil, his first guise being a polite Drug Pusher. The simple premise of the play then unfolds;-Lucius descends on Parliament in search of corruption, only to find that Politicians need little encouragement. This theme is further explored through other exaggerated figures in addition to the typical Politician of Ernest. Lucius starts to stand on the shoulders of other Lobbyists such as ‘Justus’ (played competently by Ade Ingram), a Journalist called ‘Hope’ and a Senior Manager of a Non Profit Charity, (fittingly called ‘Charity’). These stereotypical people come into contact with moral compromise, power and ambition and I thought it very convincing that this was focused upon through the Non Profit route. ‘Charity’ (acted very well by Ellen Benant) is a forceful character who starts to really like (and need) a drink. As the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Charity begins her career wanting “to help” and no doubt do good, but she soon realises the work load is too heavy, the work force is hacked off and she seems to receive little financial renumeration. Cue ‘Lucius’ as her Interior Designer who gives her permission to choose expensive gold wallpaper and take those extra bonuses in her pay packet. Benant is consistent in her delivery of Charity’s dilemmas and her characterisation is well formed.
The actor playing the Devil (Finch Talbot-Ponsonby) creates a smooth performance, albeit a little contained. He has a lot of work to do! Moving between the dodgy Defence Lawyer of Justus and adviser to Hope’s Journalistic goals, he is the device of Charity’s developing corruption and Ernest’s Political Agenda. The regular use of set mini scenes of the Coffee Shop for his meetings with Hope (Emma Garde) and the office for Ernest work well. Hope seems to be quite a meek character so it is not easy to imagine her as someone who wants to go under cover to out the corrupt politicians, but I think when she gets to this particular scene, the sound effects really helped her and Garde’s performance was more energised at this juncture. A complimentary shout out to the Sound Effects Team here, (Mason Lugh-Design and Sophie Layton – Operator). These were timely and well chosen. When Hope goes under cover her “under cover mic” is emphasised cleverly and the coffee shop bell never misses a beat. Additionally, I thought the sound tracks chosen for each scene change were relevant and fitting (‘I Fought The Law-The Clash for one great example) and Madness and Mamas and Papas were featured amongst others. As Lucius moves through the story as Chief Advisor, I looked forward to what dark theme would be grabbed by the neck next. It soon became clear, that if you are a corrupt figure, you may not be necessarily receiving the devil’s advice, he may indeed just be sowing seeds and you have decided for yourself to manufacture that Man Made Apocalypse. If you are not a corrupt figure, are you a Protestor or a mere Preacher? Ryan uses these terms to, I think depict the unrest of the general public as a backdrop to the Parliamentary corruption, but it is a little unclear as to the difference between Protestor and Preacher. However, she absolutely nails the Non Profit Charity Organisation Cynicism and the human dilemma of who not to be, asking if one can reverse one’s corrupt morals. It is especially clever how Ryan uses the character of Hope as the ‘regulator’ of Human Behaviour as well as imitating how a journalist would work in today’s modern society.
As the characters decided if they must sell their soul to pay the Devil for his interventions, I wondered too if our current political landscape has exhausted what we truly think about the state of our land. By his own admission the Devil says nearing the close of the show, that he has “stopped caring”. Ryan has therefore achieved audience participation through Thought Provocation and kudos to her as she has not relied on busy staging. The set is minimal and this works in the play’s favour, utilising pure lighting, -spots used on a fairly bare stage and not once late or misplaced- (well done to Lighting Ops Jackie and Sophie here). The design using bare furniture set pieces worked really well, (Charlize Scott). They evoke the chambers of Parliament simply, allowing the actors and script to take centre stage. All five main characters were costumed in modern clothing with great hair and make up by Abigail Annis.
In summary, The Devil Went Down to Parliament is an entertaining piece and although I felt I did not truly meet the Devil (more like the Devil’s Advocate), I thought this story gave us a sly reminder that the line between Devilish temptation and everyday politics is thinner than we think. Congratulations to all on a thoroughly enjoyable evening.
