Chunky Jewellery
★★★☆☆ Colourful
King’s Theatre: Wed 21 Oct 2026
Review by Sophie Good
Barrowland Ballet bring Chunky Jewellery a devised piece from theatre-makers Jude Williams and Natasha Gilmore to the Kings Theatre as part of the theatre’s reopening season.
This autobiographical work co-created with Ben Duke (Lost Dog) starts with a simple premise as two friends contemplate the gift Gilmore has received – apparently ‘women of a certain age’ are given chunky jewellery. Perhaps to make sure they don’t become invisible. ‘Let’s make a show together. We should call it chunky jewellery’.
Natasha Gilmore and Jude Williams in Barrowland Ballet’s Chunky Jewellery. Pic: Brian Hartley.
The rest of the piece is their pursuit of that show: One that they can make together. They try out different moments from their lives; rather like rifling through a record collection or an array of photo slides – vignettes of a feeling, a key turning point, a core memory. They test it out on stage and even get each other to try it again for accuracy. It is part therapy session and part catharsis.
They also experiment with different genres and creative approaches, so that at times it feels like a work in progress. Albeit a really fun one – the performers real life friendship and camaraderie is evident throughout.
refreshing and unpretentious
This idea of sharing their thought process is refreshing and unpretentious; and yet at times the show and the stories it tells have an unfinished quality to them.
The mini vignettes are executed really well, recreating these moments with emotional authenticity and often great comedy. Williams is clearly the singer of the duo and Gilmore the dancer, they combine these skills well to make a highly entertaining montage of when life goes wrong, or right or challenges you in some way.
Jude Williams with Natasha Gilmore in Barrowland Ballet’s Chunky Jewellery. Pic: Brian Hartley.
Composer Davey Anderson combines original songs from Jude Williams and well as some covers which blend well and are beautifully vocalised – primarily by Williams. Gilmore’s movement pieces are a lyrical way to bring us out of the moment and project a degree of emotional power to what’s going on.
Shizuka Hariu’s set and costume designs are also great fun – and the layered up dopamine dressing colours work well in creating an impact, especially on a big stage. Elle Taylor’s lighting helps to create heightened moments and intimacy – we are at once at a kitchen table, on a hospital bed and all spaces in between.
The challenge with the piece is weaving together the moments of heightened emotion with irreverent dance and song moments into any kind of narrative arc. Chunky Jewellery has some lovely real moments which say a lot about motherhood and grief but the sum of the parts doesn’t lead to any specific conclusion or wider commentary.
a drama therapy approach
It would be interesting to experience the piece in a more intimate space, given the way the set on the King’s Theatre stage puts the audience at some distance.
Gilmore and Williams adopt a drama therapy approach to reliving some of their hardest times; and offer each other support as this is undoubtedly challenging for any performer working with autobiographical material.
Their most emotive moments are broken up with ‘this is all a bit heavy’ type comments which immediately break the tension and move us onto a less tender moment. The device is perhaps a form of self-preservation for the performers and the audience – however it also serves to reduce the emotional impact by pulling us back into the here and now.
At it’s best however, these performers open their hearts and share their experiences of loss and of beating difficult circumstances to come out singing and dancing and laughing.
Running time: One hour and 10 minutes (no interval).
King’s Theatre, 2 Leven Street EH3 9LQ.
Wednesday 21 October 2026.
One performance: 7.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Barrowland Ballet website: barrowlandballet.co.uk
Facebook: @BarrowlandBallet
Instagram: @barrowland_ballet
BlueSky: @barrowlandballet
Linktree: @BarrowlandBallet.
Natasha Gilmore with Jude Williams in Barrowland Ballet’s Chunky Jewellery. Pic: Brian Hartley.
ENDS
