Old Fat F**k Up Review
‘ What the f*** are we going to do about all the men?” asks writer and performer Olly Hawes in Old Fat F**k Up, now running at Riverside Studios. It’s a question that sets the tone for a piece that is part-autobiographical, part dark comedy, and concerned with toxic masculinity and fatherhood.
At its centre is the portrait of a worn-down father, stretched thin by financial strain and societal expectations, raising two children with his partner in a cramped ex-council maisonette. The narrative builds toward a devastating act of violence against his son — a moment that forces the audience to confront uncomfortable questions about responsibility, and what it truly means to be a man and a parent today.
Hawes appears in bloodied shirt and trousers, hands stained red. The atmosphere is charged, hinting at violence without revealing when or how it will arrive.
As a social worker, I found myself wanting more. How does he repair his relationship with his son? What happens when his wife finds out? What is his own experience of being parented? Most of all, is the child safe? Rather than raising these questions, it left me with them, and I wished the narrative had gone further.
Hawes is, however, a compelling storyteller. He invites us to imagine the scenes as if on a TV screen, and his vivid descriptions make that easy. He shifts between narrator and character, alternating between microphone and bare voice to distinguish perspectives. The staging — a catwalk flanked by rows of chairs — adds to the sense of exposure.
Humour punctuates the darkness, though not always seamlessly. A surreal sex dream involving US politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, complete with prosthetic gag, felt jarring and pulled me out of the story. The clash between comedy and violence sometimes unsettles rather than sharpens the play’s impact.
The play also speaks to exhaustion. As Hawes puts it, there’s “a collective sense that we’ve all been promised something better.” His title reflects that state of mind: older, heavier, and the weight of unfulfilled dreams.
Hawes previous play ‘F*cking Legend’, which earned a spot in the Top 10 Shows at Edinburgh Fringe 2024 and a nomination for an Off West End Theatre Award, is returning to Riverside Studios for a limited four-night run.
Old Fat F**k Up runs for 25 performances from 5 November to 20 December.
Address: Riverside Studios, 101 Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith, London, W6 9BN
Website: https://riversidestudios.co.uk
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Written by Caitlin Neal
