Canal Street Lonely Hearts Club | Hope Mill Theatre

It’s an inescapable truth of life that no family is perfect. Every clan has their secrets, contentions or unfinished business, often bubbling beneath the surface and waiting to burst forth at any given moment, just waiting for the appropriate (or perhaps inappropriate) trigger. Through estranged northern Irish brothers Marti and Shaun living in Manchester, we experience the best and worst of dysfunctional familial relations, with their various friends surrounding them either observing or becoming actively embroiled in this frictional fraternal relationship.

We have a terrific, eclectic mix of characters on stage at any given time, and how they all interact makes for some wonderfully compelling exchanges, both in group settings and one on one. And though much of the more jovial, mirthful material does feature the three secondary characters, be it well spoken schoolteacher George and her unbridled zest for life, simple, chaotic yet well-meaning Clarine, recently rehabilitated and reentering the world, or level headed yet fun loving drag artist Dean, the two focal brothers are always at the very core of the action.

Directed by Stewart Campbell, there is much to love about the range of interactions, especially with regards to the surprisingly grounding, calming influence of Dean. However, where the true intrigue lies is the gradual reveal of why outspoken, flippant and deflective homosexual Marti, and insecure, defensive, typical straight man Shaun, are the way they are, through some pretty solid character and relationship building. This comes to a head in the latter stages of act one, as we discover how a major incident from the boys’ past affects both their relationship and their respective personalities, and it’s utterly devastating, yet rather beautifully handled.

In spite of this though, it does occasionally feel like certain characters’ mental health struggles are played for laughs, especially relating to formerly institutionalised Clarine who, in lieu of eliciting sympathy and giving us a chance to fully understand her, instead seems to have been relegated to being the comedy side show to proceedings. This was one of the main disappointments throughout, as we don’t really get a sense of what she’s all about, nor do we get the chance to feel anything for her outside of confused facetiousness.

On a more positive note though, the acting performances are generally very strong, and for the most part we do end up rooting for these characters, feeling invested in their respective developments, and the journey they take us on. Cameron McKendrick was the main standout, he gives us a full bodied performance that really shows what his character is all about, from his playful, sassy deflection, to how he gradually lets his guards down and shows us real vulnerability, and he shatters our hearts in the finale, as we see just how damaged this young gay man truly is.

Opposite him we have James Sprague, contrasting his opposite number marvellously with his sheepish, dismissive, almost petulant characterisation of Shaun, giving us a clear sense of the character’s unresolved, pent up guilt relating to his past relationship with his brother. McKendrick and Sprague astound us with their onstage chemistry, giving individual and collective performances that verge on the melodramatic just enough that they come across as authentic without descending into the realms of the farcical.

There really is plenty to be positive about with this play, the narrative is fairly episodic, and that works with this style of storytelling, as it keeps the characters and their interactions central to proceedings. Despite the air of flippancy regarding the depictions of mental health, and consequent inability to fully commit to certain characters’ overarching developments, this piece just about manages to convincingly sell itself, partly through its writing and thematic presentation, but mostly relating to how well it’s acted.

Qweerdog's Canal Street Lonely Hearts Club runs at the Hope Mill Theatre until 14th September 2025.

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★★★☆☆ (3*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Shay Rowan