Review: Conteh at Liverpool's Royal Court ****

When Aron Julius first had the idea of embodying Liverpool boxing legend John Conteh on stage, he felt sure there must already be a play out there he could bring to life for a live audience.

There wasn’t it seems. So rather than abandon the idea, Julius decided to write his own.

Initially conceived as a one-man vehicle, with the boxer directly relating the much-chronicled highs and lows of his life and career, Julius – at that time appearing in the Royal Court’s acclaimed production of Boys from the Blackstuff - was encouraged to think bigger by his co-star Mark Womack.

The result is this full length five-hander, starring Julius and directed by Womack, which is currently receiving its premiere at the Court but one hopes also destined for a successful afterlife for the Lodge Lane-raised actor-writer.

His source story is already a bit of a gift, with a strong natural narrative arc; the Toxteth-born, Kirkby-raised urchin whose talent in the ring took him to unimagined heights where he crested the wave of fame and success with a twinkle in his eye and a cheeky quip on his tongue, before being undone by temptation and addiction and finally embarking on the long road to redemption and peace with himself.

Conteh charts elements of that arc and while particularly early on there is plenty of action in the ring (the meticulous Julius having put in the hours in training, even endeavouring to match his subject’s 175lb fight weight) it also concerns itself with what was going on emotionally and personally in the boxer’s life.

It’s 1974 and we’re backstage at the Empire Pool at Wembley where a 22-year-old John Conteh is preparing to face Londoner Chris Finegan in a bid to retain his British, Commonwealth and European light-heavyweight titles.

Above: Mark Moraghan as trainer George Francis and Aron Julius as John Conteh. Top: Julius in the ring. Photos by AB Photography.

Support comes from his sincere, no-nonsense trainer George Francis (Mark Moraghan), George’s redoubtable wife Joan (Helen Carter, sporting one of several audacious wigs which make an appearance during the show), glamorous girlfriend Veronica (Amber Blease) and Tony, Conteh’s ebullient, good-time partner-in-crime brother (Zack Levene) who offers distraction too.

But as the boxer enters the ring, any distractions melt away into a single focus as he forensically sizes up and picks apart his opponent, with determination and not a little Scouse swagger.

Julius takes his protagonist (and audience) backwards and forwards through time to explore points Conteh's life story with the aim of shining a light on the circumstances and ambition which drove him to greatness, but also the impulses and temptations which caused his professional and personal life to unravel.

A committed and compelling narrator of his own tale, Julius weaves a lively, colourful story which benefits not only from an accomplished central performance but from the sterling work of fellow cast members as a close-knit collection of supporting characters.

Above: Helen Carter as Joan Francis, Mark Moraghan, Aron Julius and Amber Blease as Veronica. Photo by AB Photography.

He gifts Blease, another former Blackstuff co-star, with her own mini-story arc as a woman who puts her own life and professional ambitions on hold to support her famous but increasingly wayward partner, her frustrations finally pouring out in a lengthy monologue.

Carter doubles as Conteh’s therapist (in another lavish wig), while Royal Court newcomer Levene has an indecent amount of fun cavorting in and out as the flamboyant and controversial American boxing promoter Don King. And yes, he sports perhaps the most outlandish syrup of the evening.

Kate Harvey’s set is dominated by the triangular quadrant of a boxing ring, which folds like a gate to accommodate non-fight scenes, while major scene and chronological changes are signalled by projections on a convex screen above.

It could perhaps stand a little trimming or tightening up here and there. And while it certainly doesn't shy away from the lows experienced by the 'Kirkby kid', it also feels like it could occasionally pack a bit more punch too.

But overall, Conteh is an impressively accomplished playwriting debut of which Julius should be rightly proud.

The man himself was in the auditorium on press night - a slightly surreal experience perhaps both for him and for we the audience, knowing he was sitting there as his angels and demons were played out live on stage in front of us.

But there were smiles and hugs all round, along with a warm standing ovation, as he appeared under the lights to share a bow with the cast.