WHEN I saw the Apollo Players were putting on Breaking the Code by Hugh Whitemore, a play about Alan Turing, I was intrigued.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community myself, I was interested to see this production on such a prominent figure in both British and queer history.

How a man so integral to the war effort was discarded so quickly due to his sexuality, something he cannot control.

It excited me to see something like this being shown on the Isle of Wight, and so, when I was asked to review it, ‘yes’ couldn't have left my lips fast enough.

Speaking with director Martin Ward in the interval, he said he realised two things when he first read Breaking the Code — firstly, it was a brilliant play; and secondly, he would need an excellent Turing to pull it off.

An excellent Turing is exactly what he found in Joel Leverton.

Leverton was perfectly awkward and delightfully intelligent — I truly felt I was listening to and learning from a genuine professor of mathematics.

His stammer was masterfully done and had me fooled for much of the first act — it was clear Leverton had properly researched the causes of stammers rather than putting on a pantomime mockery.

Watching this hardened, passionate and driven man break down over horrendous hormone treatment was extremely moving, especially considering this happened to a real gay man not even that long ago.

The rest of the cast were just as strong.

Mark Duffus as Turing’s lover Ron Miller contrasted Leverton beautifully; an unlikely duo who shouldn’t fit together, but fit together anyway.

Mick Ross (played by Gary Smith) remained stoic and strong in the law, a brilliantly authoritative figure who, though frustrating to the modern audience, was really only doing his job.

In the interrogation, he asks uncomfortable and personal questions of Turing’s sex life, something that should have been allowed to remain private but, due to the views on homosexuality at the time, was painfully dragged into the public sphere.

The scene between Kathryn Ward (also the assistant director) as Sara Turing and Leverton as Alan Turing as he came out to his mother was, somehow, a brilliant mix of awkward, funny and moving.

Turing spent much of the war at Bletchley, attempting to decipher the Enigma Code with the help of many other talented mathematicians.

Ian Moth made for a marvellous Dilwyn Knox who, like many audience members I would imagine, didn’t really understand Turing’s work, yet supported him throughout.

His colleague, Pat Green (played by Carol Simpson) was just as intelligent as Turing, and accompanied him beautifully in their scenes together. The awkwardness of her unrequited love was uncomfortable, a testament to how well performed it was.

Scott Walsh, Peter Gale and Jason Harris all had relatively small parts but left a big impact.

Walsh appeared only in act one, and yet, his excited and exuberant performance was one of the most memorable. Harris spoke entirely in Greek for his character, and was a beautiful and emotive character, even though we couldn’t understand him.

Though a little hard to follow when/where we were at times, the show was sensational.

From the cast, to the set and wardrobe, coupled with lovely staff and a beautiful auditorium, the night was a delight from start to finish.