REVIEW: Alan Turing's Personal Battles Beautifully Depicted In 'Breaking The Code' At The Playhouse

WILLIAMSON SQUARE, CITY OF LIVERPOOL, LIVERPOOL CITY REGION.

Mark Edel-Hunt's Portrayal Of Alan Turing In 'Breaking The Code' Captured The Most Sincere Moments Of Turing's Life, Exploring The Depths Of His Struggles On Stage In Such A Beautifully Raw Depiction

(Credit: Manuel Harlan/Supplied/Image was provided to The Liverpudlian with permission to share, courtesy of the Publicist on behalf of their client. We make no claim to this content).

To say Alan Turing's story is an important one would be an understatement. His life's struggles perfectly encapsulates the complexity of life, regardless of if you are a Genius, the Father of Modern Computer Science, and shortened the Second World War by up to four years and in doing so, legitimately saved countless lives.

Alan Turing was a man who was honest, arguably too honest at times for his own good. Though, that should not be a bad thing, and in a way points out the flaws of society that someone cannot be their true self.

This new production of Breaking the Code runs at the Playhouse from Tuesday the 21st to Saturday the 25th of October, with tickets priced from £11 to £36. Tickets are available at the Everyman & Playhouse website.

The play does not make a spectacle of his trials; it treats them with care, respect, and honours Alan Turing's legacy. The production provides a stark and true-to-life recreation of his most intimate moments, yet does so in an honourable way. His story is dramatic and gutwrenching enough without any surplus theatrics.

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As I often say, theatre is educational, and this is yet another production that I would encourage Liverpudlians of all ages to go and watch. It is by no means an easy watch, though it is honest, thought-provoking, and gives perspective on the liberties that are enjoyed today.

The cast was exemplary, the script was brilliantly composed, and the set design worked across all of the scenes without breaking the immersion.

“The production provides a stark and true-to-life recreation of his most intimate moments, yet does so in an honourable way. His story is dramatic and gutwrenching enough without any surplus theatrics.”

The primary critique would be regarding time jumps. It was never really clear when we jumped from Alan Turing's childhood, alongside pre, post and during the War.

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As someone who is rather emotional, and as anyone could gauge by my review of Shake It Up Baby! at The Epstein Theatre in relation to the lives of Stuart Stutcliffe and Brian Epstein, when touching subjects are covered sensitively and with the respect they deserve, I cannot help but well up.

Alan Turing's story has been something that I have been forever been learning about since the age of around 14 when I was really getting into computer science. I find it just as upsetting now, as I did when I was first reading about his struggles. From his difficult personal life and conflict with the British Government regarding his sexuality, even in spite of how he helped solve their biggest conflict — The Second World War.

(Credit: Manuel Harlan/Supplied/Image was provided to The Liverpudlian with permission to share, courtesy of the Publicist on behalf of their client. We make no claim to this content).

How such a talented person was treated so dispicably is incomprehensible, yet it happened, and not just to Turing. He was treated as a criminal, chemically castrated (as an alternative of going to prison), and then held with the utmost distrust by the Intelligence Agencies — all for being gay.

'Breaking The Code' handles every single one of those aforementioned elements exceptionally, as there is a fine line in which a different production could have potentially taken it somewhere crass, and dealt with it in a way that would have made it a hard watch for all the wrong reasons. This play is difficult to watch as it does not hide away from anything and paints the fullest picture possible.

The fact that Alan Turing was arrested for being gay only 73 years ago, and leading to his untimely death at the age of 41 (71 years ago), puts into perspective how far British society has come in arguably such a short period of time. Alan Turing deserved to live past the age of 41.

(Credit: Manuel Harlan/Supplied/Image was provided to The Liverpudlian with permission to share, courtesy of the Publicist on behalf of their client. We make no claim to this content).

Carfully crafted and lovingly portrayed to convey the importance of an acclaimed wartime hero, and in spite of all of his struggles it deeply appreciates how much he was able to achieve both personally and profesionally. The stageplay of 'Breaking The Code' earns itself 5 Liver Birds from The Liverpudlian. You would be hard-pressed to find a better play about his lifestory.

This new production of Breaking the Code runs at the Playhouse from Tuesday the 21st to Saturday the 25th of October, with tickets priced from £11 to £36. Tickets are available at the Everyman & Playhouse website.

Alan Turing is played by Mark Edel-Hunt (Leopoldstadt, West End) alongside Niall Costigan (The Railway Children, Hull Truck Theatre) as Mick Ross; Peter Hamilton Dyer (The Promise, Chichester Festival Theatre) as Dillwyn Knox, Carla Harrison-Hodge (Cyrano de Bergerac, Jamie Lloyd Company) as Pat Green, Susie Trayling (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, West End) as Sara Turing/Smith, and Joe Usher (Falkland Sound, RSC) as Ron Miller/Nikos.

Young Everyman Playhouse graduate Joseph Edwards, recently nominated for Best Performer in a Play at The Stage Debut Awards 2025 for his role in The Red Shoes at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, joins the cast of Breaking the Code as Christopher Morcom/Sixth-Former.

The production features set and costume design by Jonathan Fensom, lighting by Johanna Town, sound and music by Robin Colyer, movement direction by Gerrard Martin, casting by Hannah Miller, and voice and dialect coaching by Gemma Boaden.

Co-produced by Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, A Royal & Derngate Northampton, Landmark Theatres and Oxford Playhouse, in association with HOME.