Show preview: Thomas Guthrie on Dancing In The Mirror

A new site-specific play, Dancing In The Mirror, celebrating the life of boxing legend Sir Henry Cooper, will open at Lewisham’s The Fellowship Inn this spring. 

Dancing In The Mirror follows a young boxer on a journey of self-discovery, performed in the iconic boxer’s former Lewisham training ground. Sir Henry’s nephew, opera singer Neal Cooper, will appear as his uncle in the production. 

Sunday Times best-selling author Rhik Samadder makes his playwrighting debut in collaboration with Lewisham Creative Chorus, who will also appear alongside professional actors and musicians. 

Where: The Fellowship Inn, Randlesdown Rd, Lewisham

When: 22-23 May

Ticket link: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/musicandtheatreforall/2147125

What can you tell us about the show? How does Henry Cooper fit in as a character, and how much is based on real events?

The show is inspired by Henry Cooper’s spirit and the character of Bellingham – the estate, the pub, the community. It’s not a biographical piece; Cooper appears as a kind of spectral presence, blessing the story rather than driving it. The play was developed with the Lewisham Creative Chorus over the past year, and the two leads – Jade and Mica – are developments of characters the chorus first created with me in our previous production, Stories We Tell Ourselves.

You have Henry’s nephew, opera singer Neal Cooper, playing his uncle in the cast. Has he been involved from the start, and what will he bring to the production? Boxing and opera don’t often mix!

We actually didn’t know Neal was an opera singer until very recently – we approached him because of the family connection, and then discovered he was singing Wagner at the Met in New York. It’s one of those happy accidents, but it also seemed to make sense, somehow. He’ll bring real professionalism, a thrilling connectedness, and presence to the production.

As for boxing and opera not mixing – I’d push back on that! I made a podcast episode called “Opera is Like Boxing” for the Big Smoke Variety Show last year, before we’d begun in-depth work on the show. 

And during our Big Give fundraising campaign in March, I went three rounds with a professional boxer and sang an aria in the ring. 

What is the significance of using live music and the Lewisham Creative Chorus?

It’s what we do. We use music, singing, and voice to tell our stories — and we work with professional musicians and singers to bring it to a wider audience. That’s the unique heart of every MTFA production. The original music for Dancing in the Mirror draws on material we developed in Stories We Tell Ourselves, so there’s a continuity – the community’s voice running through both pieces.

What have been the advantages and disadvantages of placing this show in The Fellowship Inn?

It’s where we live and work. It’s where Henry Cooper trained. The building is turning 100 this year — it was the first pub ever built on a London council estate. There’s no better place to tell this story. The ‘disadvantages’ are the usual ones of working in a non-theatre space, but honestly, that’s part of the appeal. It makes the work feel real and helps us make it a storytelling experience that feels like it could work anywhere.

You have professional actors and community players in this play. Was that a conscious decision from the start, and how have you been handling it when developing the production?

Absolutely – again, it’s what we do. We believe that the best storytelling comes from a sense of place, and that can only come from lived experience. When you combine that heart and soul with professional excellence, you can create work that’s genuinely arresting and powerful. The professionals aren’t there to carry the community members; they’re there to work alongside them. That’s the MTFA model.