Gitika Buttoo – Live Art Alive

Reece Dinsdale and Shobna Gulati in Through It All Together at Leeds Playhouse.
Image credit: Charlie Swinbourne

Written by Chris O’Connor

Directed by Gitika Buttoo

Leeds Playhouse, Courtyard Theatre

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Through It All Together, Chris O’Connor’s tender, funny, and profoundly human new play, scores a heartfelt goal at Leeds Playhouse. Blending the collective high of Marcelo Bielsa’s transformative Leeds United era with the quiet, day-to-day reality of living with dementia, this world premiere directed by Gitika Buttoo is a deeply affecting exploration of love, memory, identity—and how football, of all things, can help us hold onto our sense of Self.

The result is a beautifully calibrated narrative centred on Howard (Reece Dinsdale) and Sue (Shobna Gulati), a long-married Leeds couple whose lives are defined as much by matchdays as they are by memory loss. Their shared devotion to Leeds United—and to each other—becomes a touchstone as Howard’s dementia begins to unravel their sense of normalcy.

But this isn’t a story of despair. O’Connor balances challenge with a deep humanity, never sugar-coating, but never wallowing either. “There are a lot of stories about dementia that focus only on the decline, the hardship… I wanted to show a more nuanced picture.” The ensuing result is a window into gritty, Northern humour and emotional resilience that suggests there are ways to navigate this new life that are not totally bleak and hopeless.

Reece Dinsdale’s portrayal of Howard is all the more moving for its subtlety. He captures the erratic rhythms of memory loss with clarity and compassion, avoiding caricature in favour of something richer. As the illness slowly progresses there are more post-it notes dotted around the home to ground him as we watch the light in his light in his eyes seem to palpably dim. Shobna Gulati’s Sue is no mere carer—she’s the team captain of this household, full of warmth, exhaustion, fierce loyalty and humour. Together, they embody a partnership that’s far more than caretaking; it’s a testament to shared history. Gulati is wonderfully warm and authentic as a wife facing an uncertain future, but determined to still make new memories with the man she loves.

Excellent supporting roles from Dean Smith and Everal A Walsh flesh out the world outside of the home with energy and wit, from the passionate football pundetry of a wickedly funny podcast to football fans uniting in the pub or on the terraces with unbridled optimism or surly despondency. Natalie Davies is very believable as the daughter whose initial discomfort and awkwardness around her fathers’ diagnosis slowly shifts to something new that has real emotional depth and develops a deeper bond between parent and adult child.

Everal A Walsh and Dean Smith in Through It All Together at Leeds Playhouse
Image credit: Charlie Swinbourne

Buttoo’s direction is deft, never overstated, and her pacing allows the emotional beats to land without lingering too long. Amanda Stoodley’s set elegantly shifts between domestic space and Elland Road reverie, and her inspired stained glass window depiction of Marcelo Bielsa vividly evokes how football serves as church for so many. Annie May Fletcher’s sound design and Jason Taylor’s lighting evoke both the roar and passion of the crowd and the flickering confusion of a fading mind. The production’s authenticity owes much to the involvement of Dr Nicky Taylor, Theatre and Dementia Research Associate at Leeds Playhouse as O’Connor collaborated with people living with dementia throughout the writing process.

This play will resonate with Leeds fans, particularly those still mourning the magic of the Bielsa years and those embarking with renewed hope as Leeds once again play in the Premier League. But crucially, Through It All Together is not really about football but instead “It’s about a family navigating life, loss, and love.” The result is a play that feels lived-in, full of both emotional urgency and the soft, cumulative weight of experience.

Through It All Together is a triumph not because it finds easy answers, but because it honours complexity. It reminds us that memory may fade, but love leaves traces. It’s an ode to resilience, to chosen rituals, to the invisible thread that binds couples, families, fans, and strangers in the same chant, week after week. Whether you’re a die-hard Leeds United fan or someone who couldn’t care less about football, this is a show worth seeing. As O’Connor hopes, “Maybe people will leave the theatre feeling a little more connected to their own families, and a bit more educated on dementia. And maybe, just maybe… they’ll convert to Leeds United.”

LEEDS PLAYHOUSE 23rd June – 19th July 2025

Emmy Stonelake and Luke Sookdeo as Aster and Marc in Tell Me How It Ends at Liverpool Everyman.
Image credit: Andrew AB Photography

Written by Tasha Dowd

Directed by Gitika Buttoo

LIVERPOOL EVERYMAN

It’s the 60th year of Liverpool Everyman and fittingly the theatre is celebrating by looking forward and showcasing new work. Tasha Dowd is a graduate of the theatre’s new writing programme for young people. Her debut play Tell Me How It Ends celebrates and commemorates a particular period of social history that has often gone under the radar in the story of the AIDS crisis. Focusing on the late 80’s and early 90’s the plays looks at the work of the lesbian community who tirelessly volunteered their time; in many instances their blood, sweat and tears to support all the men in Liverpool dying from AIDS and related illnesses.

This is a meticulously researched play that is filled with period appropriate cultural references and references local clubs in Liverpool at that time. The belting soundtrack includes Whitney Houston and The Communards and local Liverpool groups such as Echo And The Bunnymen and The Christians. Books and films are also central to the narrative as volunteer Aster attempts to connect with Marc though sharing books like Misery, The Silence of the Lambs and watching movies such as The Bodyguard together.

This two hander has Emmy Stonelake as Aster who is a lesbian supporting Marc played by Luke Sookdeo who is HIV and on AZT drug cocktails as the hospital struggle to increase his T cell count. Stonelake really shines in this role giving her character an awkward, bumbling charm and a dry, sly wit. Her initially infuriating habit of always giving away the endings of books and films becomes a poignant metaphor for what is to come as Marc’s life is cruelly cut short. Sookdeo struggles a bit in the early hospital scenes which simply require him to be weakened and warily resistant to Aster’s help. As his character gets physically stronger the Sookdeo starts to hit his stride and Marc becomes more fleshed out as the duo become firm friends.

There is a lovely choreography to the scenes as Grace Goulding makes use of every element of the clever set design by Katie Scott. There is energy and flow to scenes that move from the hospital to Aster’s flat, Marc’s B&B to the disco and the really captivating cinema scene. The story moves from the unlikely pairing sparring on a hospital ward to them making a bucket list to make the most of Marc’s remaining life. For such a young writer Tasha Dowd has a light touch and manages to avoid a mawkish drawn death scene. Aster’s big final speech is genuinely heartfelt and impassioned but risks preaching to the converted.

In recent years there has been a lot more writing about this era and it’s impact as we grappled with the horror of HIV and AIDS. This production feels like filling in another part of the story of a particular group of volunteers and the people they supported. I worked on the telephone counselling lines in Manchester and helped organise the fundraising so I remember the tears, the rage, the fear and despair and the laughter. It was an extraordinary time and should never be forgotten. Tell Me How It Ends evokes the era extremely well and is as much about learning how to live on our own terms as it is about preparing for death in a way that gives an individual some autonomy.

Liverpool Everyman 12th – 22nd June 2024