REVIEW: PATRONAGE at Drayton Arms Theatre 26 – 30 May 2026

“Together, they chipped away everything that doesn’t look like David” ★★★★★

In dealing with love, the weight of legacy, and the public vs private notion of the self, Patronage avoids the big topics.

A sparkling debut from writer Camellia Elerman about the life and times of Michelangelo and those closest to him, we should begin with the bare facts. This play is utterly superb. Brilliantly paced and lovingly told, what emerges is a piece so natural and at home with itself that it feels like the work of a writer with many years in the game. As we progress, a thought arrives that quickly becomes unshakable. Elerman will go far. We will hear from her again.

There is a deep love for history, form and process here, with art, Florentine politics and Vatican intrigue described without ever descending into head-patting condescension. That said, this is no observation piece, and Patronage is unafraid to pose sadly relevant questions about success in the arts and proximity to wealth or the fallout effects of the tortured genius.

That pesky “oh we’ll be seeing them again” feeling extends to the cast. Each offers a remarkable performance, coming together with a wonderful complementarity under Cecilia Walker’s exquisite direction that has us fully immersed in this behind the curtain glimpse at brilliance.

As Michelangelo, Sebastian Porter excels. Explorations of his inner self are nuanced and deeply moving and, working with Elerman’s rich text, Porter brings a reality to an individual so mythologised that his own surname couldn’t keep up with him. Sitting back as a beautifully grounded Pater Familias, Porter never chases cheap showiness but focusses on bringing to us a much more remarkably real man, someone charred by his own ceaseless ambition. Someone who feels he never really lived at all.

His efforts are wonderfully complemented by those of Fred Di Rosa as the great man’s great-nephew Mikey, endlessly brooding on the personal consequences, real and perceived, of proximity to genius. Despite the risk of mewling self-pity, Di Rosa’s marvellous turn as someone born already eclipsed creates a tormented, deeply human character, capable of growth and redemption.

Mikey’s entire being is defined by his famous relation and yet the two share scarcely a word until a late confrontation where the desolate loneliness of an aged prodigy meets the jealous self-loathing of a never-quite-will. Somehow, in this exchange, a kind of spiritual understanding is reached from which both seem to take solace, if only for a moment. Di Rosa also provides some brilliant multi-roling as Hollywood-slick Cardinals and a vengeful Pontiff, but it is in the subtle and wounded portrayal of Mikey that he really shines.

And then Tina Greenwood, who emerges as Michaelangelo’s PR lead and manager Cassandra, with a full LinkedIn vocabulary and a healthy disregard for the unfortunately necessary creative process. She brings a brilliant Huel-swigging ‘grow the brand’ energy to proceedings as she attempts to protect and steward the artist’s ambition in a vigorously hostile environment, at significant cost. In an extraordinary performance, Greenwood’s ability and Elerman’s writing see her transform, what, in bygone times could have been a two-dimensional scold into a brilliantly complex character, who fully humanises the toll of legacy preservation. She is equally impressive in her comic delivery as she is when, briefly remonstrating with her woe-is-me son Mikey, she highlights a legacy of brilliant women erased from the histories of great men. In a flying the nest family denouement, she is simply astonishing and must be singled out.

If you’re sick of the superlatives by now, tough because it’s time to discuss Filippo Brozzo. Playing Leo, nephew and co-manager of Michaelangelo, and husband of Cassandra. Brozzo offers another stellar performance as the moral centre of the piece, desperately trying to keep the band together. He shines with Greenwood, showcasing the demands of work on a fraying home life. When it comes to Mikey, their collective effort to generally put a brave face on a bad parent’s evening might crumble, but by the play’s conclusion, we know his loyalty to those he loves. When he confronts Michaelangelo for his increasing detachment from humanity, we truly feel it.

Ultimately, what makes this show so good is that ordinary family dynamics and musings on the nature of art and creativity are interwoven so perfectly, feel so unforced. The characters work effortlessly together and avoid the opportunity for pastiche at every turn. The scanty staging of a few bits of homely furniture only increases focus on the exquisite performances and helps to further situate this extraordinary life in the everyday.

There is very, very little to complain about. With an eighty-minute run time, the interval feels like it’s injected more for the comfort of Patronage’s patrons in a not exactly Baltic loft during a May heatwave. Whatever the reason, at this length, it certainly isn’t needed and unnecessarily risks a dip in energy when it arrives roughly an hour in. Luckily, the flawless acting and tight direction ensure an instant return to form and an unforced, rewarding conclusion. 

In Patronage, a uniquely talented writer, cast and crew have joined forces to create something genuinely outstanding. To pilfer from the great man himself, together, somehow, they chipped away everything that doesn’t look like David. This is how it’s done.

Box Office https://www.thedraytonarmstheatre.co.uk/patronage

CAST

Sebastian Porter - Mike

Fred Di Rosa - Mikey

Lewis Trela-Gray - Leo

Martina Greenwood - Cass