Monstering the Rocketman | Arcola Theatre

It feels prescient, the day after the Washington Post announced widespread layoffs, to be reviewing a play about what sells newspapers. Because Monstering the Rocketman, Henry Naylor’s one-man play about Elton John’s libel suit against The Sun is, above all, a story of journalistic integrity and what drives the news agenda. 

Naylor’s play won the Fringe First award at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe and now makes its London debut at the Arcola Theatre. It is still a small-scale production, with Naylor himself writing, producing and taking on the role of main character Lynx (named after the deodorant beloved of teenage boys everywhere), as well as the numerous other characters who fill the 75-minute story, with direction from Darren Lee Cole and AV design from Iain Pearson.

Lynx is an idealistic cub reporter taking up a job in Sun editor Kelvin MacKenzie’s newsroom in the hopes of following in his foreign correspondent father’s footsteps. His fast-paced monologue, in which he narrates his own story but also throws in the voices of MacKenzie, Elton John and a host of other colourful characters, quickly immerses the audience in the world of 1980s tabloid journalism, where the still-wet ink on the five million copies of The Sun printed nightly clung to the fingers and faces of readers across Britain. 

So far, Lynx’s biggest assignment is a story about Mr Blobby’s love life, but that quickly changes when MacKenzie finds himself a “ferret”, an exciting if not altogether true story about Elton John hiring rent boys. In the legal battle between Elton John and The Sun which ensues, Lynx finds himself chasing one of the biggest stories of the decade but along the way questioning the morality of the profession which he reveres. 

It is this which is at the heart of the play, a searing critique of the newspaper industry and of those who consume media. As Naylor’s script reminds the audience, The Sun has 12 million editors, all of its readers, and people are more willing to read that Adolf Hitler was actually a woman than about the destruction of the Brazilian rainforest. 

This headline, proclaiming groundbreaking news about Hitler’s gender, is one of many real tabloid headlines from the time period appearing on a massive screen and projected onto the walls of the Arcola during the performance, reminding the audience that all of these stories were really printed, even if the events they describe are often less real. 

A better space could perhaps have been chosen to bring this play to London, as sightlines in the Arcola mean that not all of these projections are visible to the entire audience, although Darren Lee Cole’s direction does ensure that Naylor addresses the audience on all three sides of him throughout the show. 

Naylor is an adept performer, taking on the various characters which he has woven into his narrative with ease. There were a few stumbles with delivery of his sharp and witty script on press night, but these largely did not detract from the performance. Alongside the projections, Pearson’s lighting choices were effective, spotlighting Naylor in key moments to amplify the performance, such as when Elton John returns to the stage to perform at an AIDS benefit at Wembley Arena.

A biting critique of the media industry and all of us who buy into it, Monstering the Rocketman will leave audiences with plenty to reflect on when it comes to their own media consumption for those willing to listen.

Monstering the Rocketman runs at the Arcola Theatre until 21st February. For more information and tickets, follow the link here.

★★★★☆ (4*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Steve Ullathorne