Cockfosters At The Turbine Theatre Review’
After three sold out runs in a year, smash hit comedy ‘Cockfosters’ rides again this summer at The Turbine Theatre. Strangers James and Tori meet on the Piccadilly Line at Heathrow and travel across London to Cockfosters on a journey they’ll never forget. 1 Tube Carriage. 38 Stops. Can love be found on the underground?
Along the way we meet a host of characters we love or hate on the tube- the loud tourists, the busker, the person who sits next to you when there are other seats, the one without the earphones and many more. Everything we associate with the tube is poked fun of from the adverts to the noise to the politics of giving up a seat. We’ve all probably had these experiences and it’s this relatability that was so enjoyable.
I love history so the scene set 160 years ago was a favourite. This along with one featuring Shakespeare helps contrast both the current day events as well as time and style of speech. At times the comedy can be very predictable and over the top, and on these moments I wasn’t as invested. The show breaks the fourth wall with one noticeable time being a quiz show with audience participation. Though this does slow the pace a fraction, it’s very fun and informative, which is something I was t anticipating. Do you know the only station with ‘station’ in its name? Or the station with the longest escalator? Neither did I but know thanks to‘Cockfosters’ I do.
‘Cockfosters’ was written and produced by Tom Woffenden and Hamish Clayton. Clayton as the director keeps the 60minute play moving pretty briskly from scene to scene, with characters only staying for a stop or two, and tube announcements being a way to end a scene. Gareth Rowentree’s design is recognisable immediately as a tube carriage with the blue patterned seats strewn with newspapers.
Even before the performance, we’re made to feel as if we’ve entered the underground. A man in high vis with a megaphone tells us of delays on the service, there’s a busker, and a whiteboard with a quote of the day. Original songs were by Richard Longdon and Tom Woffendeb with Jay Foreman’s ‘Every Tube Station’ song making an appearance. Don’t worry, it stops before it reaches the nearly 300 stations. It is interesting to listen out for your stations as it plays whilst exiting the theatre.
Sam Rees-Baylis plays unlucky in love Sam’s awkwardness well. Beth Lilly, who is a previous cast member of the show, stars as Tori, whose amusement at what is going on at times matches ours. Kit Loyd, Natasha Vasandani, Amy Bianchi, Ed Bowles and Harry Bradley play a range of ensemble characters. Usually this is through various hats and costumes, and sometimes accent changes which of course are poked fun at. Vasandani has a wonderful monologue about perceptions of being ‘old’ and Bradley will make you feel sympathy for a ticket inspector.
The Turbine Theatre is on the banks of the Thames next to the iconic Battersea Power Station. So it’s not on the Piccadilly line, but rumblings of the underground overhead are heard throughout. It’s probably the only show where this contributed to the atmosphere positively.
Overall, ‘Cockfosters’ is a fun love letter to the tube.
Cockfosters runs from 13th August to 31st August 2024. Performance time is 7:30pm Monday to Saturday, as well as a 2:30pm matinee on Saturday. Tickets are available from £15.50.
Address: Turbine Theatre, Arches Lane, Circus West, London, SW11 8AB
Website: https://www.theturbinetheatre.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/turbinetheatre
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TurbineTheatre/
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Written by Caitlin Neal
