Review: From Ibiza To The Norfolk Broads, Hartlepool Town Hall Theatre

Taking its title from a line in Bowie’s Life On Mars classic, From Ibiza To The Norfolk Broads is a moving and touching production.

Written and directed by Adrian Berry, it tells the story of a young Bowie obsessive Martin, brilliantly portrayed by Alex Walton.

Martin is a boy with problems - an illness no-one understands and a head full of sound and vision.

So when an unexpected letter arrives on his birthday from his long-departed father, Martin embarks on a journey through London in the footsteps of his twin obsessions, leading him to discover some long-hidden truths about himself.

The play uses music from Bowie well and snippets of interviews voiced uncannily by comedian Rob Newman.

Martin finds himself visiting Bowie’s childhood home and first school as well as the play’s funniest scene in a Croydon karaoke bar, once the Greyhound pub where Bowie famously performed live as Ziggy Stardust in 1972.

The play touches on themes of misfits, social isolation and obsession and is carried by an engrossing one-man performance by the brilliant Walton.

He performs a host of characters impressively, slipping in and out of character with their interaction with Martin.

But the central character Martin is the one that drives the play in Walton’s touchingly believable performance.

The performance was warmly applauded by the packed Town Hall Theatre audience in another good evening for the venue.