28 – 29 April
Do I Love You? is a curious, affectionate piece — a warm if slightly meandering love letter to Northern Soul, delivered through the uncertain drift of post-Covid young adulthood.
Written and directed by John Godber, and named after the Frank Wilson classic, the play follows Sally, Nat and Kyle, three Hull twenty-somethings who stumble into the world of Northern Soul, finding escape and unexpected connection through the dance floors of a fading England. The script gently laments the grim realities facing their generation — precarious jobs, fading hospitality, the relentless grind of capitalism — but without ever fully plumbing the emotional depths it brushes against.
The real joy here lies in the sleek, effortless choreography, which slinks and shines across the stage — a direct contrast to the sometimes clunky, conversational dialogue. The dance numbers hit exactly as they should: tiny carousels of nostalgia, sparking dopamine bursts that almost lift the show into something transcendent.
Performances are endearing and sincere. Chloe Mcdonald (Nat) and Martha Godber (Sally, and doubling as Nat’s grandmother) share an easy chemistry that gives the script its liveliest and most heartfelt moments.
Emilio Encinoso-Gil brings natural warmth to Kyle, playing the affable everyman and acting as an effective foil to the two women, while also doubling as the aged dance hall ex-con Keith.
Their pithy, raw exchanges brim with a rough-edged warmth, bringing a welcome authenticity to a production that, elsewhere, sometimes struggles for focus.
There’s a genuine, fuzzy charm to the idea of young people falling in love with something old and beautiful — a portal to a time they’ll never fully know. But the structure meanders: the Covid footnotes don’t quite land, and the final act feels padded rather than punchy. At two hours including interval, the piece strains under its own modest ambitions, and the sharp observations of everyday life occasionally overstay their welcome.
Yet Do I Love You? finds its heart in fleeting moments: the honesty of small lives striving for joy, the blurry resilience of youth, and the bittersweet ache of knowing that nothing, not even a dance floor, can hold back time. It’s frank, tender, and often gently funny — a portrait of lostness that resonates strongly with audiences who have perhaps felt that drift themselves.
Warmly received at the Tobacco Factory, particularly by an older crowd drawn to its music and nostalgia, Do I Love You? is a heartfelt but uneven tribute to Northern Soul and to the messy resilience of youth. Those willing to forgive its meanders will find moments of real charm along the way.
★★★☆☆ Tilly Marshall, 29 April 2025
Photography credit: Ian Hodgson
