Noughts & Crosses Review: fashionable theatrics confront racial injustice
- Jack Davey
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
10 March 2026 I 19:00 I Derby Theatre
⭐⭐⭐⭐ I PR - Invite
While preparing for my Drama GCSE in 2019, I visited Derby Theatre on a very special school trip to see Pilot Theatre's Noughts & Crosses, one of the first shows I'd ever seen. I often accredit this production with igniting my initial love for theatre! Returning with a UK Tour seven years later, Malorie Blackman's dystopian tale of racial segregation remains formidable in a fashionably exciting revival. Although Pilot Theatre devise with young audiences in mind (12+), the subject matter is handled with maturity when confronting systematic racism and violence.
Sephy is a Cross. Callum is a Nought. Historical racial hierarchies have been reversed in apartheid 'Albion', reimagining a London where Africa colonised Europe some centuries ago. Black citizens, known as Crosses, hold social status over the marginalised, white-skinned Noughts. As conflict rises, Sephy and Callum's forbidden love blossoms in a Romeo & Juliet influenced narrative.
Adapted for the stage by Sabrina Mahfouz, the term 'dystopian' feels inflated given the novel's context. Audiences bear witness to political riots, terror strikes and ethnic prejudice, all sadly recognisable from the media today. Carrying this notion, Cross politician Kamal Hadley (Chris Jack) engages in interviews which are broadcast onto small television screens within the set. Si Cole's set-wide, pre-recorded videos of the Liberation Militia protest group are projected to appear unsettlingly realistic, filmed on real streets.
A cast of eight allow the citizens of Albion to feel expansive with frequent multi-rolling. Brianna Douglas shows marvellous enthusiasm as a young Sephy which is endearing to see, as her guise crumbles to explore Sephy's naivety to privilege. Lewis Tidy's steadfast Callum compliments Douglas, whose emotionally exact response to radicalisation sees his physicality develop into something much harsher than his earlier warm disposition.
Some moments of the production are inherently challenging, one scene depicting a terror bombing from the Liberation Militia. Characterising the explosion with layered physical theatre, white noise, bursts of lighting and glitching projection, it actively aggravates the senses. Uncomfortable for audiences, it forces us to listen and confront the lengths that the oppressed are prepared to go to when provoked.
Mahfouz's script puts a spotlight on an intimidating Jude (Fintan Hayeck), condemning his actions yet also probing his extremist psychology and what prompts it. Both families are highly flawed, although Callum's parents are more immediately warm, especially Emma Keele as Meggie, who is grounded and openly vulnerable. Sephy's parents, perhaps due to their higher class, feel distant. Kamal's (Chris Jack) power is often reduced due to shuffling feet, rather than an authoritative stance. Jasmine's (Elexi Walker) drinking habits minimise the character into a shallow box, despite Walker's well-performed numbness due to circumstance.
Tonight's staging is minimal and suggestive, opposed to naturalism. Designer Simon Kenny likens his staging to infrared that leans into the uncanny, dominated by red walls both familiar and different to our world. Inverting colours, Kenny's costuming for Callum's family is washed out in order to minimise their importance in the space.
Asides are frequently spoken in verse as a nod to Shakespeare's poetic tone. In contrast, physical theatre transitions are dynamic and contemporary. Not all creative choices align with one another, however the weight of the subject matter never fails to re-centre Esther Richardson's direction. Years on, Noughts & Crosses' statement endures, acknowledging the inequality in our own societies. Pilot Theatre inspires a new generation of theatre makers, in a style that is achievable and current.
UK Touring Information & Tickets: https://pilot-theatre.com/production/noughts-crosses/
