‘Boris III’ follows an eighteen-year-old Boris Johnson playing Richard III in a school production. Apparently, he wasn’t prepared, didn’t learn his lines and the result was chaos. Boris the Third is a comedy imagining of what that school play might have been like. Will young Boris play the clown, charming his critics, or will he be remembered as the villain?
Harry Kershaw is hysterical as Boris. The moment he walks on stage, the audience are chuckling away with how much Harry embodies our current prime minister. The wig helps the performance but that isn’t where the essence of Boris is truly sourced, it’s within Harry’s portrayal, if you closed your eyes you would believe you were at a chaotic tory party conference with Boris babbling away. Within this portrayal you very much get the clown, but when things turn vicious you see a truly different side to Boris that you can very much believe. This is an incredible performance, not a shallow impression, from Harry Kershaw.
Matthew Cavendish represents one of Boris’ squaddies as Nav, the obnoxious energy portrayed truly embodies the sort of tory praise of the PM we are very much used to in Westminster. It’s interesting to see how eager to please Nav is, by being both on the fence, and also strongly opinioned, it is portrayed brilliantly by Matthew and shows the type of person Boris mixes with.
Phoebe Ellabani brings us a strong-willed young woman who is desperate to succeed, and yet is bogged down by Boris. This is a great portrayal which shows determination and power in spite of Boris’ farting about. This character also has strong individualism with the narrative, separate from the satire, this is thanks to Phoebe’s versatile performance embracing the humour while also tackling the more serious notes of the piece.
Lorna Lowe is brilliant as Rhonda, a bystander to all the farcical action. Lorna does well to bring knowledge and maturity to the situation the students find themselves in. That’s not to say that she doesn’t join in the fun, because she does and helps add to the crazy energy on stage. This is a great performance, especially the delivery of a certain apt piece of dialogue.
Daniel Morris is brilliant as Mick and Delfonte. Delfonte resembles one of Boris’ other infamous friends (I’ll let you guess who when you see the production) and the obnoxious energy expels from him even with his small stage time. Mick is a different kettle of fish, a working-class man who has been the victim of a fly-by Borising. Daniel’s variation between these two roles is impressive, he’s unrecognizable.
Poppy Winter is hilarious as Katie & Agatha, she brings a gullibility to the character, but Katie’s evolution is endearing and powerful to watch. Also, the sass she radiates as Agatha is brilliant!
Alex Marker’s set for this production brings grandeur to the stripped-back Fringe production, with Carla Evans’ elegant costume and David Howe’s apt lighting design.
Adam Meggido’s script for this play does well to bring us a farcical satire with a nuanced message embedded, it’s by no means preachy or tasteless, this is a brilliant commentary on political events with creative ingenuity. Adam’s direction brings his text to life with such energy and makes sure to hit each comedic note, while also embracing the seriousness of some of the issues explored in the text.
‘Boris III’ is a superb production that explores the life of the UK’s most infamous (and hated) prime minister, with a hilarious farcical scope. Yet it also recognizes the issues of the “clown”, Boris Johnson, in a nuanced manner.
Get tickets for ‘Boris III’ below:
Theatre Scotland 
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