Photos by Springbok

Tealight: Small Stage, Big Feelings, and a Glimmer of Light

There’s something both charming and quietly shattering about Tealight. Josh Maughan’s one-man show feels like you’ve stumbled into a late-night conversation – equal parts overshare, comedy set, and raw confessional. It’s a snapshot of Queer millennial life that taps into something deeply familiar: the mess of connection, the loneliness between pings, and the small, stubborn hope of something more.

Lucas, a creatively stifled twenty-something moderating Grindr complaints for a living, invites us into his mind – exhausted, sardonic, and painfully honest. “Thirst traps should come with a pension,” he quips, and you can’t help but laugh at how right he is. Co-written with Katie Bourne, Maughan’s script is sharp and unafraid to poke fun at Queer culture while still holding space for its emotional weight. Beneath the jokes, there’s something more tender: the family dinners where he still doesn’t fit, the missed connections, and the heavy silence of a world that promises freedom but rarely delivers it.

It helps that Maughan himself is magnetic. Lucas is dry without being cynical, funny without ever feeling forced. The performance walks that fine line between laughter and heartbreak – those moments when Lucas lets his guard down hit like a gut punch. It’s a reminder that humour often comes from knowing just how far you can stretch before you snap.

An honest and witty exploration of connection, disconnection, and everything in between

Directors Tobias Abbott and Saskia Mollard make full use of The Hope Theatre’s intimate space. The minimal staging – a tealight here, a subtle shift of light there – keeps the focus squarely on Lucas and his words. It feels like we’re in his living room, sitting across from him as he works things out in real time. The simplicity works; in a show like this, anything more would have been noise.

If there’s a niggle, it’s that a couple of moments could do with trimming. Some ideas feel like they loop back around one too many times, as if Lucas himself is caught in his own head. But perhaps that’s the point. This isn’t about resolution or neat answers – it’s about sitting in the mess and finding flickers of light where you can.

Final Thoughts ★★★★

Would I recommend Tealight? Absolutely. Josh Maughan’s quietly magnetic performance draws you into a story that’s as funny as it is affecting. With sharp wit, self-aware humour, and moments of tender honesty, Tealight holds up a mirror to Queer millennial life – full of contradictions, connection, and disconnection in equal measure. The minimalist staging at The Hope Theatre makes every word and pause hit just that bit harder, leaving you with a lingering sense of something familiar yet unspoken. It’s a small story that feels surprisingly big, proving that sometimes a single flicker of light is all you need to feel seen.

Playing at The Hope Theatre until 7th December 2024.

Disclaimer: A complimentary ticket was provided in return for an honest and unbiased review.

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