One night. One secret. Twelve years of consequences.
What would you sacrifice to become the person the world wants you to be?
The Pearly Queen Theatre presents John Donnelly’s acclaimed THE PASS, a provocative and
intensely gripping story of football, desire, sexuality, masculinity and the price of living a lie.Jason and Ade are seventeen, talented, ambitious and on the brink of professional football
careers. The night before their first-team debut, they share a hotel room. Beneath the banter,
bravado and talk of girls and football, an attraction neither man can afford to face begins to
emerge.
One moment changes everything.
Twelve years later, Jason has everything he dreamed of: football superstardom, money, fame
and a family. Ade has taken a very different path. When they meet again, the past they thought
they had buried comes crashing back into the room.
Review by Richard Lambert.
A new small venue on the first floor deserves to be applauded, and for this production it is a 40-seat theatre with a 3 x 3 metre stage which could potentially be reconfigured for different productions.
Your theatre experience starts the moment you arrive at a venue, and this one, just five minutes from Bow Road tube station, begins in a traditional East End pub. The Bow Bells dates from the 1860s and Tower Hamlets describes it as a three-storey Victorian pub in the Gothic Italianate style. It is now on the borough’s Local List because of its architectural and local significance.
After a succession of licensees, the freehold is now owned by Heineken UK and the pub is leased to a private company. Thankfully, there is no Young’s or Greene King area managers breathing down the neck of the theatre here! Whoop whoop!
When I arrived on a Friday evening, the pub was packed, but I managed to get a stool at the bar and ordered a plate of Mexican food, which was delicious. The red wine was served in a glass tumbler and, as the bell rang to signal that it was time to go upstairs for the show, a drag queen came downstairs to perform her set.
Inside the small theatre space is a lovely corner bar. The vibe feels very inclusive and, of course, part of the fun of the evening is investigating this new theatre as much as seeing the play itself.
So, to the show.
The Pass was written by John Donnelly and premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in London in January 2014. The film came later, in 2016. Interestingly, Russell Tovey played Jason in both the original Royal Court production and the film. Nico Mirallegro, best known for his role as Barry “Newt” Newton in Hollyoaks, also transferred from the stage production to the film.
The play deserves to be seen and heard. Donnelly‘s writing is superb, highlighting the love, rivalry and competition that can exist between young men, particularly when they are working in the intensely competitive world of professional football. Hyper-masculinity masks fears and insecurities at every juncture, and the play becomes an increasingly intense sparring match between its two main football characters.
Then Lyndsey arrives. Wow. Eliza Shea is outstanding in the role. Both the character’s story and Shea’s performance take the play to another level. Her arrival changes the dynamic and exposes another layer of what these characters are hiding from each other — and from themselves.
The second half introduces Harry, who works at the hotel. He’s “up for anything” as the two footballers use him as bait in their games. Harry, played by Charlie Hammerson, is an attractive cheeky fella who initially lightens the mood, not for long though. As the play progresses, it becomes clear that none of the characters are quite what they initially appear to be. They are all hiding something.
The small space works surprisingly well for a play that depends so much on tension, intimacy and the uncomfortable proximity of its characters. The audience is close enough to feel every shift in the relationships.
A first-rate play that deserves to be seen — and a fascinating new venue in which to see it.
Cast
Jason: Ben Moxon
Ade: Josh Hitchman-Pinnock
Lyndsey: Eliza Shea
Harry: Charlie Hammerson
Creatives
Writer: John Donnelly
Director: Glenn T. Griffin
Set/Costume/Lighting: Evan Mercer
Photography: Sheilina Somani
Venue: The Pearly Queen Theatre @ The Bow Bells Pub, 116 Bow Rd, London E3 3AA
Dates: 17 September – 3 October 2026 (10 performances)
Times: 19:30
Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Tickets: From £20 (concessions available at £16)
Book: www.pearlyqueentheatre.co.uk
Instagram: @thepearlyqueentheatre