Theatre Review: Yours Sincerely

As an avid theatre-goer before the pandemic, I was elated to be back in an audience. Yours Sincerely completely reignited my love for theatre. This is by far the best one-man production I have ever seen: Will Jackson’s hilarious writing and captivating stage presence is a force to be reckoned with.

By far the best one-man production I have ever seen

The plot is relatively simple: the protagonist, Will, stole 300 second-class stamps and is now on the quest to write letters to people from his past and present, as well as a variety of companies like Cadbury and John Lewis.

The hundreds of letters strewn in a semi-circle around a desk and chairs create Jackson’s world. The setting of a black-box theatre creates a personal experience, making me feel like the sole recipient of the letters. With about a dozen letters, Jackson created a conceptualised story from start to end, focusing mainly on the trials of living life as a young gay man.

Jackson achieved what is crucial to a successful comedy play; an emphasis on the characterisations and physical comedy over an elaborate plot. What I loved the most was that it was a queer extravaganza. From his larger than life camp mannerisms to his smooth and sassy lip-sync and dance numbers, Jackson served charisma and charm.

From his larger than life camp mannerisms to his smooth and sassy lip-sync and dance numbers, Jackson served charisma and charm

As a gay man, it felt so validating to see an actor be so creative, bold and unapologetically gay. But it was also the small moments of sensitivity, such as expressing the health scares that are still present in the queer community. The embellishments of queer anthems like ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ and ‘Can’t Get You out of My Head’ aided Jackson’s effervescent overacting.

Not only was Jackson’s characterisation fully realised, but he had the challenge of portraying a multitude of characters such as an eight-year-old boy to a posh old lady without changing costumes. His ability to effortlessly change his pitch and tone to match the character he was evoking, as well as adapting his facial expressions and gait sedimented his skills as a comic actor.

Jackson’s ability to riff with the audience was commendable, feeding off our laughter and ad-libbing responses to our reactions. He kept us on our toes the entire performance, one minute laughing, the next being pelted with confectionery. It was a real rollercoaster of a performance: Jackson struck the perfect balance of reading quick-witted puns, delivering animated storytelling and acting an absolute fool at junctures.

It truly is a celebration of queer youth

After the show, I chatted in the bar with Jackson. He revealed that the show was semi-autobiographical: he did in fact steal stamps, but the characters he portrayed were all mixtures of real people from his past. He emphasised how much he still loved performing the show even after over 70 shows.

Overall, Jackson’s likeable and flamboyant persona combined with witty puns and physical gags left me wishing this was just the first episode of a bingeable Netflix series. It truly is a celebration of queer youth, the complexities of relationships and just living life as the most authentic version of yourself. I sincerely yearn for more from Will Jackson in the future as Yours Sincerely received my seal of approval.