Most famous for his role as Otis in Netflix’s Sex Education, Asa Butterfield has taken a new leap, one which lands him onto his stage debut at Riverside Studios, to star in the brand new one-man play, Second Best. This limited four-week run play explores Martin Hill’s (Butterfield) narrowly missed acting opportunity and his journey into fatherhood.
Written by Barney Norris and based on the best-selling novel by David Foenkinos, Second Best follows Martin’s story; it weaves in and out of his childhood and present day, of being very nearly chosen to play the role of Harry Potter, and how he copes with this for the rest of his life, his relationship with his parents, and later on, meeting the love of his life and having a son of his own. We are shown how Martin imagines what life could have been if he had got that opportunity; this play delves into the characters' disappointment but also showcases the hope of a dream and how we can be fulfilled after it is not achieved.
One-man plays can sometimes be a risk and I am often apprehensive beforehand, but with the brilliance of producer Simon Friend and Director Michael Longhurst, both award-winners, this play has been crafted excellently. Butterfield captures and engages the audience with his mannerisms, humor, his expressions, and by moving us through a journey. We are transported back and forth in time with the monologue, and through Butterfield’s constant movement on stage, we feel as though we move with him. Butterfield was phenomenal at imitating other characters on stage too - playing Martin’s father, his mother’s partner, the lady at the audition, and his wife, for example. He was able to playfully put on voices to bring these invisible characters to life.
Producer, Simon Friend, has commented how Second Best is a ‘coming-of-age story of success and failure, love and loss, and fathers and sons’, and Asa Butterfield himself said it is ‘equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, a universal tale of ‘what ifs’’. While it was certainly a humorous play at times, it is also a play that covers very difficult topics of childhood trauma, death, bullying, and mental health. I did not expect it to be so hard-hitting, but this play forces you to experience the pain of the fictional character Martin and to think about perhaps the ‘what ifs’ in our own lives.
Interestingly, the stage is designed as a white-boxed room in which Butterfield is trapped. Paule Constable, lighting director, has used effective lighting to make the white box seem blinding at the start but then also uses dimming and sudden blackouts to anticipate mood and scene changes. There are numerous props on the stage too that Butterfield moves and uses throughout the play. From the chair, camera, and the hospital bed hanging by the wall, to the cupboard at the back which is initially covered and then pulled out and used for numerous scenes; the set has been effectively utilised to tell the story.
Overall, Second Best takes you down a winding road of the what-ifs of life, displaying a playful and poignant coming-of-age story that will make you both cry and laugh. Asa Butterfield was excellent in his debut role, and I hope to see him on the stage again in the future.
Second Best is playing at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, until February 22nd, 2025.
Review: Cara Scott Photo: Hugo Glendinning