The Dramatic Life of Jonah Penrose

This could have been exactly what first impressions indicate… and arguably it is. The trope of two rivals who fall for each other is an old one. But I love the theater. And I recently saw theater in London for the first time. And I love Mickey Jo’s Theater reviews – which often focus on London Theater. So… I was primed I suppose. And the characters are complex and at times surprising. Overall, I enjoyed it. I listened to an audio version of the book, and it served the story well. I’m not sure that the cover art serves the writing as well as it might. The book is better than the cover suggests.

* * * * *

Red, White & Royal Blue meets the theater world of London’s dazzling West End in this nuanced, queer debut romance in which a fake dating publicity stunt between rival co-stars results in romantic sparks neither of them expected.

After winning his first Olivier Award for his performance in the West End’s top musical, The Wooden Horse, fabulously talented Jonah Penrose is the new shining star of London’s theatre scene. But Jonah’s success can’t erase the pain of a recent breakup, fix his self-doubt, or remedy his father’s ailing mind.

Enter stage right, Dexter Ellis: the West End’s golden boy, the newest cast member of The Wooden Horse, and someone Jonah finds to be intolerable and arrogant.

Everything about Dexter is infuriatingly perfect, from his dashing looks and casual but cutting notes on Jonah’s performances to his obnoxious sweaters that cost more than Jonah’s rent. Worse yet, while Dexter was supposed to play Jonah’s enemy in the show, his role switches to his love interest after a bout of illness temporarily sidelines half of the cast.

Jonah’s plan to stay as far away from Dexter as possible is thwarted when fans mistake their on-stage tension for romantic chemistry and tickets start selling like hotcakes. With fans desperate to catch a glimpse of the West End’s ‘hottest couple,’ the show’s producer pushes the co-stars to put on a show of their own and convince the world that they are in love.

While pretending to be head over heels for his co-star is the last thing Jonah wants, he reluctantly agrees. Yet as he gets to know Dexter better, he learns there’s more to him than meets the eye. As the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur and Jonah’s feelings become less of an act, he must decide if he’s willing to entrust his heart to someone again.

At turns both passionate and poignant, heartfelt and intimate, The Dramatic Life of Jonah Penrose is a love letter to the theater, to life in your thirties, and to what happens when you throw out the script and improvise the life you want.

The Purple Fantastic Steam rating gives this a 3 out of 5. It is does get specific about the sex at times, but does not linger into long descriptive passages. The focus is on the plot and character development. You can read more about the Steam Ratings on the About Page.