Teeth ‘N’ Smiles ★★★ Duke of York's Theatre | Mar 13 - Jun 6, 2026


Written in 1979, David Hare’s tale of a 1960s rock icon who has watched the summer of love dissolve into a nightmare of drugs and disillusionment is potent stuff. Maggie Frisby, inevitably reminiscent of Janis Joplin, drinks to excess and has been reduced to performing at a spring dance at Jesus College, Cambridge. The singer is at her lowest ebb, bitter, volatile, and narcissistic. When her sober, sensible ex-husband, who wrote most of her songs, and her cynical, exploitative agent arrive nothing bodes well for this gig. With Frisby and her agent, Saraffian, Hare evokes two of the most enduring stereotypes of the rock 'n' roll world, and Rebecca Lucy Taylor, aka Self Esteem, and Phil Daniels inhabit them with relish. Taylor is mesmerising as the drunken, unpredictable Maggie, while Daniels could rival Uriah Heep in sheer unctuousness. Both performances are captivating, and when Taylor strides onstage to belt out her hits, the energy is nothing short of explosive. The rest of the band are sharply drawn and fully realised, from the drug-addled Peyote, flamboyantly played by Jojo Macari, to the peacemaking, trivia-obsessed Nash. Teeth ‘N’ Smiles serves primarily as a vivid portrait of a moment in time and a distinct cultural milieu. It captures the collapse of 1960s optimism into the darker, self-destructive pessimism that followed. The first act largely establishes the characters, while the second introduces some plot development; yet it is the concert sequences that truly exhilarate. Across both acts, moments of drama are effectively staged, punctuated by considerable humour, particularly in the character of Anson, who represents the privileged student elite being entertained by these anarchic rockers. Even so, the play seems to offer limited reflection on issues of class or any other broader thematic concerns. The moral seems confined to the bleakly familiar truth that life goes on despite the false highs and devastating lows. The principal strength of this production lies in its atmospheric intensity and its acute evocation of a specific historical moment. In these respects, it triumphs, leaving a vivid impression long after the final curtain falls.

Rated: ★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Helen Murray

When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: St Martin's Ln, London WC2N 4BG, UK

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