Jack Holden gives one of the most spectacular performances I’ve ever seen.
Cruise, written and performed by the incredible Jack Holden, was the first new play to premier after lockdown in May of 2021. It was nominated for an Oliver Award for Best New Play. Returning to the West End at the Apollo Theatre, Cruise tells the story of Holden’s time volunteering for Switchboard, the LGBTQ+ hotline, and the riveting conversation he has with one of his callers, Michael. Michael then takes over the narrative for the majority of the show and leads us back to the eighties, shows us around Soho, and introduces us to a lot of interesting characters. The nature of the set allows Holden to travel through time and through London with ease. The middle of the stage rotates, becoming whatever he needs – his phone desk, a backdrop for a drag performance, or a dance floor in a club.
It was easy to forget Cruise is a one-man show because of two things, the first being Holden’s powerhouse performance. The amount of talent inside of this man is beyond my comprehension. An amazing writer, actor, and singer, Holden blew me away. He uses the entire stage, storytelling in his movements just as much as in his words. He embodies several different characters, and I felt he needed to bow as each character during curtain call as he plays every one with such distinction and depth.
The second reason Cruise feels like it has a full cast is because it does; they’re all just backstage. It took a large amount of people to put this stunning, multi-layered production together. I’d like to highlight one person who was actually on stage the entire time – the composer, sound designer, and live performer during the show John Patrick Elliott. His music was more than just an added soundtrack; it set the tone for each scene, telling the story just as much as Holden does. I felt myself rise and fall and inhale and relax with the music. The coordination of Elliott and Max Pappenheim’s sound design and Prema Mehta’s lighting design truly thrilled the senses.
The highlight of the show for me was the writing. At emotional heights, it became poetic, rhythmic, and rhyming. Holden honors those who have lost their lives to AIDS as well as those who survived. His tribute epitomizes in a scene where he is dancing for them and calling out their names in anguish. A reoccurring subject is the phenomenon that happens when there is a truly gifted DJ in a club, and you have the magical, spiritual experience of dancing to loud music and bright lights, and you can forget about the world.
The telling of the story over a phone call is ingenious; we, the audience, can react to it along 22-year-old Holden. He ends the show as himself in the present day, ten years after Michael called Switchboard. He says he wrote the play during lockdown, and relates the Covid pandemic to the AIDS epidemic – something those who didn’t live through the eighties can now better understand. I appreciated the insightful comparison he made without excessive talk about the pandemic, which is something I’m sure we’re all tired of addressing.
I was mesmerized by Cruise. I laughed, cried, held my breath, and had goosebumps. Holden had to pause twice during the show to allow the audience to clap, and he received a long standing ovation at the end. Cruise has a limited run at the Apollo Theatre until September 4; do not miss this extraordinary show!
{🎟 AD – PR invite – Tickets were gifted in exchange for an honest review}
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