Little Lark of London

“Funny how love makes itself known”

Walking into Riverside Studios for Second Best, audience members are greeted by an all-white stage with a range of props and set pieces scattered across the stage – a small television, a hospital bed built into the wall, two shelves of crisps, empty frames, and even Asa Butterfield himself is there, sitting on a chair in the corner of the stage. It’s a fascinating choice by set and costume designer Fly Davis and leaves the audience guessing how each object will come into play throughout the show. 

Written by Barney Norris, Second Best is the stage adaptation of a novel by David Foekinos that asks quite an interesting question – what might have happened to the child actor who came in second to Daniel Radcliffe for the role of Harry Potter? Butterfield makes his stage debut under the direction of Michael Longhurst as Martin Hill, the very person whose life changed because of Harry Potter, though not in the way he may have been expecting. 

The play begins with Martin appearing to have an ordinary life, bringing his wife to the hospital for the three-month ultrasound that will let them see their child for the first time. But, as Martin and Sophie begin this new chapter of their lives and prepare to welcome their child to the world, starting with the scan, Martin begins having flashbacks to his own childhood, something he has been trying to ignore, even forget, for years. As Martin himself says, “I thought I’d left all of this behind when I met Sophie.”

As one might expect from a play about auditioning for the role of Harry Potter, there are quite a few scenes that focus on the auditions themselves, starting with Martin meeting a producer when his father, who works in the props department of films, brings him to work one day when his babysitter can’t come. Martin and his father prepare for auditions for hours, cramming the Harry Potter books together and celebrating each passed round with pizza. Martin actually finds himself enjoying the auditions, loving the feeling of “becoming someone else,” but this starts to change when the cast directors begin trying to get reactions out of him, insulting him to see how he responds and having him cry for the camera. 

The room seems to “blink” along with Martin as he goes back to the past, with the lights (Paule Constable), going darker, buzzing noises sounding throughout the theatre (Richard Hammarton) and images of an eye flashing on the small television on the stage (video design by Zakk Hein). They’re powerful moments that not only separate the scenes but illustrate just how painful it is for Martin to be reliving these moments, as he comments several times on how horrible it is to be remembering with physical reactions to the memories. They also give Butterfield the opportunity to have a pause, often taking a drink of water before launching into the next scene.

Norris does a fantastic job of illustrating trauma and anxiety through his writing and Butterfield is excellent in bringing life to the words on the script, making one truly feel as though it is Butterfield himself who came in second to Radcliffe (often referred to as “He Who Must Not Be Named”). But it is not entirely a tragedy – there are many moments of comedy and love to lighten the mood.

There are reveals throughout the show that come out of nowhere, suddenly making the strange set choices make sense. Things that were simply objects transform into visual metaphors, letting the audience know that Martin’s entire life story has actually been in front of them this whole time. I do wish that the television screen had been a bit larger, as there are several moments that those sitting far away from the stage may not have caught – I struggled to see them at times from the centre of the theatre so cannot imagine what it was like for those in the back row!

However, not everything is about the world of Harry Potter. As someone with a deep love for museums, I found myself drawn towards the moments in which Martin tells the audience about his time working at the Louvre in Paris, playing “casting director” and helping others like him hide from the world outside in a building stuck in the past. There is an especially beautiful monologue about not only the Mona Lisa but the paintings who surround her, including the Portrait of Thomas Stachel. It was a subject I was not expecting to find in a story of acting and Harry Potter but believe it encapsulates the feelings Martin experiences perfectly. 

One of the unexpected highlights of the play is seeing Butterfield take on a range of different characters – there’s even an excellent impression of Daniel Radcliffe – sorry, “He Who Must Not Be Named” – that is instantly recognisable. I particularly enjoyed his performances as Mark, and his son, Hugo, two French men whose attitudes Butterfield is able to portray with ease. 

Ultimately, Second Best is a beautiful and powerful reflection on the effects of both love and trauma and how one learns to coexist between the two. It is not just about the “Boy Who Lived” as one might expect – it explores mental illness and how one person can affect the life of another without ever meeting them. Butterfield gives a fantastic performance, especially for his stage debut – a fact that one would not have guessed! 

Second Best runs until 1 March at Riverside Studios. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.