After a stint at the Edinburgh Fringe last year, Miles has made its London debut at Southwark Playhouse Borough. It’s a one-act play by Oliver Kaderbhai that dives into the life of the legendary Miles Davis.
The whole thing takes place in a recording studio. We follow Jay (played by Jay Phelps), an aspiring trumpeter who’s basically picking Miles’ brain for advice on making it big. Along the way, we hear the "greatest hits" of Miles’ life—his early start, the struggles with drugs, and various career highlights—though it doesn't spend much time on his personal relationships. The storytelling jumps around a bit, moving from Miles (Benjamin Akintuyosi) narrating his own history to the actors playing out different memories, alongside the central conversation between the two men. Some of the narrative moves along nicely, but it does spend a lot of time on random anecdotes that don't always feel like they’re leading anywhere. That said, the back-and-forth between Jay and Miles is really engaging, and the live trumpet playing from Jay is just beautiful.
Oliver Kaderbhai’s dialogue is sharp, and the direction feels really slick and intentional. The set by Ellie Wintour is great to look at, too—it's got a very cool, stylish piano right in the centre of a glowing circular stage. I loved Colin J Smith’s projections; using Miles’ own vest as a screen was a really clever, unusual touch. The only downside is the tiling at the back of the stage—the texture makes it pretty difficult to see the projections when they’re aimed up there.
Jay Phelps is a fantastic trumpeter, and his playing does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to the mood of the show. He plays Jay with a lot of heart, even if a few of his reactions felt a little staged. Benjamin Akintuyosi is excellent as Miles; he has this really natural, relaxed presence and handles the constant character-switching without missing a beat. He also absolutely nails that iconic raspy voice.
At the end of the day, a lot of the themes here—like the addiction and the tough parenting—feel like things we’ve seen in plenty of other biopics. But even if the story feels a bit familiar, it’s still a cool concept, and it’s worth the ticket price just for the music alone.
Miles is running at Southwark Playhouse Borough until March 7th, 2026.
Review: James Simons Photos: Colin J Smith