Having recently had the pleasure of interviewing Hamish Clayton and Tom
Woffenden, creators of the Turbine Theatre’s current show Cockfosters. The duo did
a great job of enthusing about how amazing the show is. They weren’t wrong.
Cockfosters, set entirely on the tube, is a fantastically raucous, laugh-a-minute romp
of a comedy. Like the tube itself, it’s destined to become a London icon.
The story beings by introducing Tori (Beth Lilly) and James (Sam Rees-Baylis); Two
strangers travelling through London whilst sharing a carriage on the Piccadilly Line
train to Heathrow (for the non-Londoners – that’s the bustling dark blue tube line).
Along the way they meet an eclectic mix of characters, all of whom are instantly
familiar to those of us who’ve braved the frenetic rush-hour journey. The din coming
from obnoxious American tourists and screeching, penis-hat wearing, hen party
becomes visceral when the doors open to the impossibly posh ex-boyfriend and the
cringe-worthy old school friend you’ve been avoiding.
On arrival to the Turbine Theatre, the perfect place to stage this show, we’re
ensconced by the arches of a railway line, the gentle hum of trains going past
audible in the distance. Whilst held in the crowded bar, true to life, the cast announce
train delays that are met by incredibly realistic groans, and applause, from the
audience. The authenticity doesn’t stop there. As we file into the theatre, we were
softly-harassed by buskers and find the auditorium littered with crumpled copies of
the Metro newspaper strewn everywhere. These seemingly simple additions
masterfully immersed me and set the scene perfectly. I was back in the tube station
from which I’d recently emerged, absorbed before the show had even started. What
followed was equally dazzling – an hour of comedic bliss filled with Londonisms,
Tube-isms and -isms I didn’t even know existed. There’s even a interactive tube
knowledge gameshow-within-a-show – if you don’t like audience participation, don’t
sit on an aisle!
The seven strong cast play seamlessly portray the vast menagerie of commuters to
absolute perfection. I couldn’t pick one to single out - they were all sublime,
effortlessly toying and winking at each other and the audience. It was a pure delight
to see.
The show is a Monument-al laugh and you can Bank on Cockfosters to make you
laugh Morden you have in a long time. The only negative I found was that it only
lasted an hour. The only thing that didn’t feel authentic was that, unlike the 1000s of
real tube journeys I’ve endured, I didn’t want it to end!
Cockfosters is playing at the Turbine Theatre until August 31st. Tickets available at www.turbinetheatre.com
コメント