one4review | On 04, Aug 2025

 Henry Naylor returns to the Fringe with Monstering the Rocketman, a gripping one-man show based on the real-life 1987 libel battle between Elton John and The Sun. In a sold-out Ace Dome, Naylor plays a fictional journalist, one of the tabloid team tasked with taking down the Rocketman in what would become one of the most notorious smear campaigns in British media history. Ultimately, the Sun’s campaign against Elton John collapses when it over-stretches itself, and a legal reckoning follows. But the damage to Elton, personal and professional, is lasting.

At the heart of the piece is Kelvin MacKenzie, the fearsome and unrelenting editor of The Sun, who led the charge against Elton with a mix of bluster, ambition, and menace. MacKenzie never appears on stage, but his influence dominates, both as a character and as a symbol of a now-faded era of ruthless tabloid power. At the end, and with sharp irony, Naylor asks whether such a figure as Kelvin MacKenzie could exist today.

The performance is confident and charismatic. Naylor holds the audience’s attention throughout, weaving in elements of scandal, newsroom panic, celebrity culture and press ethics. At times the script feels dense, especially in its early moments, and it can be hard to absorb the flood of names and events. But once the central storyline comes into focus, the play becomes a compelling and at times unsettling account of power, media, and truth. I would highly recommend catching this performance.

****

Reviewed by Howard

Pleasance Ace Dome

16.10 to 17.10

Until 24th August