Crybabies: The Scaring
Hot off the heels of their brand-new upcoming Edinburgh Fringe 2026 show, Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer nominees Crybabies (Michael Clarke, James Gault, Ed Jones) announce the transfer of The Scaring to Soho Theatre this September. The trio join forces with Olivier Award-winning Fleabag and Baby Reindeer producers Francesca MoodyProductions and director Jon Brittain (Baby Reindeer, Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!), to present a terrifying tale of fear, faith, fathers (dads), fathers (priests), fantoms (phantoms), and finally moving on.
When former priest Arthur Holland checks into a remote hotel, he soon finds out it’s not just the breakfast buffet which poses a threat to life. Forced into an unlikely double act with Gerry, the ghost of a long-dead guest, Arthur must tackle demons both public and private under the watchful eye of Mr Lyle – the hotel’s Norman Bates-esque manager.
With absurd characters, classic horror tropes, and a plot that twists itself into ever stranger territory, The Scaring combines Crybabies’ signature blend of surreal sketch, narrative ambition, and theatrical mischief. Expect Shakespearean zombies, broken-armed serial killers and walking waxworks, in a frightening tale where not everything is as it seems. Or rather, as it screams.
The Scaring moves at a breakneck pace, with Crybabies shapeshifting through dozens of roles and whiplash-fast costume changes – often within the same scene. The sheer number of characters, the speed of the switches, and the fact that the audience somehow always knows exactly who’s who border on the miraculous.
The show embraces a sharper visual ambition this year, with moments of genuinely slick theatricality – but it never loses the ramshackle brilliance Crybabies are known for. Expect high drama built from low-budget nonsense: costumes assembled from scraps, effects powered by suggestion, and set pieces that are both ridiculous and ridiculously effective. It’s big-budget horror on a shoestring; ambitious, theatrical, and still held together with gaffer tape.
The Scaring marks a bold new chapter for Crybabies: bigger, stranger, and more ambitious than ever. Produced by Francesca Moody Productions – the Olivier award-winning powerhouse behind Fleabag, Baby Reindeer and Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!, in association with award-winning comedy and podcast company Plosive Live – this is Crybabies with the volume up. It’s slicker, spookier, and somehow even sillier.
Over the last few years, all three Crybabies have been quietly levelling up. They’ve been working on a new BBC radio series, developing projects for screen, and popping up on TV including roles in Jack Rooke’s award-winning Channel 4 series Big Boys, Disney’s Extraordinary and Ricky Gervais’ After Lifeon Netflix. Their solo careers have taken exciting steps forward, while their collective chaos has only grown more refined.
Following the success of Danger Brigade and Bagbeard, both of which transferred to Soho Theatre, Crybabies have built a loyal, slightly obsessed fanbase. With their signature blend of chaos, tenderness and theatrical invention, Crybabies have become one of the UK’s most distinctive, and best-loved sketch acts.
The trio’s BBC radio series Crybabies Present… saw the boys take the big screen to your normal-sized radios across the country. The series launched in 2024 with Bagbeard, followed by Yours, Fatally last August, with both earning nominations at the BBC Audio Drama Awards in 2025 and 2026 respectively.
Address: Soho Theatre Main House
Dates: Thursday 3rd – Wednesday 23rd September 2026
Time: 9pm
Website: https://sohotheatre.com/events/crybabies-the-scaring/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sohotheatre
