Last Updated on September 14, 2025
On Railton Road: A Hilarious Homage to ’70s and ’80s Queer Resistance
The atmosphere is buzzing as the audience waits in a small exhibition space inside Hoxton’s Museum of the Home. It is the first time that the museum is hosting a theatre production, and On Railton Road couldn’t have been a better choice. Based on real-life accounts of gay squatters living in Brixton in the 70s and 80s, On Railton Road follows the domestic lives of a group of radical queer activists.
The audience understands the play through the eyes of Ned (endearingly acted by Manish Ghandi), the nervously excited new addition to the Railton Road household who is in love with the polyamorous Philip (Thomas Royal). Caspar (Hannah van der Westhuysen) is determined to make a difference and disdains those whom they believe to be complacent in this duty, like loud, spotlight-stealing Darie (Jamal Franklin) or the lovably ditsy yet two-dimensional Atom (Jaye Hudson). Dan de la Motte’s Clifford is sometimes irritating, but believably so, and his boyfriend Jack (Nicholas Marrast-Lewis) fills the role of the caretaking housemate, making everyone soup and tea. The dynamics are instantly believable, and the cast’s authentic camaraderie is a joy to behold.
The dialogue is written with a true feel for believability; Ned and Philip share a particularly excellent bedroom conversation. There are also about three or so monologues delivered by various characters, a device which risks being tedious or crushingly sentimental but is mostly effective in On Railton Road. Though the final speech tips somewhat into the sappy, the monologues work because they are in alignment with the character and tend to deliver genuinely interesting historical information.
The realism of the squatter’s environment is interspersed by short scenes from Mr Punch’s Nuclear Family, an original play by the Brixton Faeries. This insertion, alongside the use of original 70s chants from pride marches, roots On Railton Road in its historical activist past, and thus becomes a moving reminder of previous generational struggles. Jaye Hudson comes to life in their role as the narrator, rallying up the audience and directing the makeshift street-theatre-esque action. Franklin and Marrast-Lewis create hilarious caricatures as Mr and Mrs Punch, with some particularly inspired facial expressions and body-shudders from Franklin. These scenes also usher in the use of marvellous puppetry and mops-as-wigs costume design (Valeriya Voronkina). It’s not often that praise is showered down on the props, but in this production, Oliver James-Hymans puppets were utterly original and engaging, with massive, oversized paper mâché heads and extendable arms providing unexpected moments of comedy.
The music (Sophie Crawford) bookends and ties together the whole piece. Crawford’s clean soprano sings the lilting tune of A Gay Song, an original gay pride chant from the mid-1970s, which is nonetheless just as apt today. The final rousing chorus is such a proud celebration of queerness – with all cast members holding hands up high and signing with full gusto – you would be hard-pressed not to leave with a smile on your face, or perhaps even a tear in your eye.
On Railton Road runs until Saturday 18 November
Museum of the Home
136 Kingsland Road
London E2 8EA
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