Queer history is often a record of raids, arrests, and executions, leaving the love and joy to imagination. In Redcliffe, writer-performer Jordan Luke Gage fills in the gaps of the lives of William Critchard and Richard Arnold, two men who met in mid-18th-century Bristol. Inspired by true events, this musical romanticizes their story into a grand love tale that history rarely recorded.
A Story of Forbidden Love
Gage plays William, a shy local whose chemistry crackles with arrogant sailor Richard (Daniel Krikler), docked in Redcliffe for a few days. While their meet-cute feels a bit too 21st-century, their charm and optimism are irresistible as they carve out freedom in a world that shuns their desires.
Balancing Comedy and Tragedy
The musical, with book, music, and lyrics by Gage, walks a fine line between bawdy humor and devastating sincerity. The first half leans into comedy, with lines like “We don’t need a reprise,” and scenes with William’s mother (Rebecca Lock) and sister Abigail (Jess Douglas-Welsh) that evoke both laughter and tears. Yet, a loving family cannot overcome the law.
A Monumental Effort
Directed by Paul Foster, Redcliffe is ambitious in scope and aesthetic. There is still work to be done, but the leads give their whole hearts to the story. The anguished love songs take a rockier turn as the narrative hurtles toward the documented ending: two men, a witness, a valiant kiss on a hand. Through Redcliffe, Gage gives these wronged men another chance to live.
At Southwark Playhouse Borough, London, until 4 July.
