The notices are in for Ilford Boy, the second play from Danny Lee Wynter, which had its press night at the Donmar Warehouse on 20 October in a production directed by Tim Sheader. Drawn from Wynter’s own east London upbringing, it follows 14-year-old Ted, played by newcomer Leo Whitfield Harris, through a family funeral in 1995 and the arrival of his mother’s gay best friend Patrick. The critics are warmer about the writing than about the shape of the evening: almost all of them prize the dialogue and Craig Stein’s Patrick, while several feel Wynter has packed more into it than the play can hold.
3.4 / 5 from 5 criticsThe verdict: eight reviews in so far — two four-star notices, three three-star, and three nationals whose ratings sit behind paywalls. Among the five that score it, the average is 3.4 out of 5. The critics agree on the writing: the dialogue is sharp and very funny, and Craig Stein’s Patrick, with his tap routine to “Don’t Rain on My Parade”, is the turn they keep coming back to. Where they part company is on shape, with WhatsOnStage and Theatre Weekly finding the play crowded and The Stage calling it slight, while The Times headlines it the most entertaining British play its critic has seen this year.
What are critics saying about Ilford Boy?
LondonTheatre.co.uk
“this thoughtful period drama weaves a funny and desperately sad tapestry”
Reviewer: Holly O’Mahony
Holly O’Mahony opens on the climate of Ilford in the 1980s and 1990s, with casual racism and the AIDS panic pressing in on anyone who did not conform, and finds the play’s patience its strength.
“It’s against this backdrop that Danny Lee Wynter’s thoughtful, unhurried play unfolds.”
She admires the kitchen-sink naturalism of Tim Sheader’s staging and the speed of the period switches, calls Ria Zmitrowicz uniformly excellent and Craig Stein majestically poised, and reads Stein’s tap number as the moment the play breaks out of its realism. Her verdict lands on a piece that is by turns very funny and very sad.
BroadwayWorld
“Danny Lee Wynter's new play will warm your soul and break your heart”
Reviewer: Aliya Al-Hassan
Aliya Al-Hassan calls it a witty, sensitive coming-of-age play and is struck by how quickly Wynter’s characters draw her in.
“With some brilliant performances and a thoughtful exploration of Black manhood, Ilford Boy is an imperfect, but gorgeous little production.”
She praises Leo Whitfield Harris’s professional stage debut as Ted, the bickering, loyal trio of sisters played by Ria Zmitrowicz, Jodie McNee and Charlotte Jaconelli, and Stein’s first-half closer. Her reservation is length: two and a half hours carry a lot, and some of the meandering could be trimmed.
WhatsOnStage
Reviewer: Sarah Crompton
Sarah Crompton is in no doubt that Danny Lee Wynter can write, and she relishes dialogue that crackles with period detail, from Body Shop moisturiser to Thatcher’s right to buy.
“It doesn’t travel quite as far as it might, but it’s a hugely entertaining journey.”
Her objection is structural: Wynter crams too much in, the play meanders towards its close, and it never quite shakes off the feel of a personal reckoning. The sisters are where she finds it strongest, with Jodie McNee magnificent as Jackie and Cary Crankson delicate as her husband.
Theatre Weekly
“Wynter’s dialogue is as razor-sharp as it is intentional”
Reviewer: Jake Wiafe
Jake Wiafe enjoys the jokes and the craft of the creative team, singling out Peter McKintosh’s set, Aideen Malone’s lighting and Ebony Molina’s movement direction.
“Ultimately, Ilford Boy is a beautiful piece of art with fantastic performances, endless witty dialogue and moving moments.”
He names Craig Stein’s Patrick the standout and Gershwyn Eustache Jnr stellar as Ted’s father, but finds the large family spreads the play thin, leaving the bond between Ted and Patrick less developed than the story needs.
Production photographs by Helen Murray.
Also reviewed by: The Stage (Sam Marlowe, three stars, “Effervescent dialogue is deliciously funny”), The Times (Clive Davis, “the most entertaining British play I’ve seen all year”), The Telegraph (Fiona Mountford, “Ilford Boy paints a fierce and funny portrait of working-class family life”) and the Financial Times (“a funny, big-hearted coming-of-age play”), whose reviews sit behind paywalls.
For more of the week’s openings, the critics have also had their say on Martin Guerre at the Old Vic, and our first production photographs of Ilford Boy show more of the company in action.
Ilford Boy runs at the Donmar Warehouse until 28 November 2026.
For more information, visit the official website.
