Writer: Torben Betts
Director: Philip Franks
With the music of Robbie Williams and Eurythmics blasting out over the speakers, we are transported to the home of Jonny “The Cyclops” Drinkwater on New Year’s Eve as he prepares to ring in the New Year with his partner Lisa and mother Shirley. But, through a series of quite remarkable and unexplainable events, the New Year celebrations go completely off the rails, as the luxury home of this notorious dog-loving, pig farmer becomes the scene of chaos, hilarity and carnage.
Written by Torben Betts, who, a couple of years prior, saw success with his play Murder in the Dark, created this follow-up as part of a series of “Murder” plays. With this play, Betts sets out to satirise cockney gang culture and explore why the villains of that world hold a semblance of respect in society. He achieves this with a well-written classic farce, full of fast-paced conversations and hilariously unrealistic circumstances, all being navigated by some outlandish and exaggerated protagonists.
The performance utilises an ambitious and well-crafted set designed by Colin Falconer. Multiple distinct locations are present at once, with no need for set changes. A living room and kitchen dominate the stage. Above, a bedroom sits on a balcony. An office and outdoor spaces are always in view. However, due to the nature of the production, where the action is never confined to one space alone and the focus switches rapidly and without warning, this kind of busy setting often serves as a distraction. It pulls your attention away to different areas and increases the risk of missing crucial parts of the action or the dialogue that is happening elsewhere. This issue is less prominent in the second act, when much of the action is confined to one space with the majority of the cast present. However, details and comedy moments could easily be missed in the background due to the hectic nature of multiple actions happening simultaneously.
Luckily, the performance is well directed and choreographed by Philip Franks, Ruth Cooper-Brown and Carlotta De Gregori. With the complex script, the timing is good, and characters do not talk over each other, even when they cannot see their scene partners in another part of the set. The plot moves swiftly on, with the rapid dialogue, if one can get past the heavy East End accents, which can be difficult to comprehend at times.
The cast play their parts well as a whole, ensuring that this performance, which could easily descend into uncontrolled chaos, goes on without a hitch. Each of them brings to life the sometimes over-the-top and stereotypical characters expected in a farce such as this. The standout performers include leading man Jason Durr, who plays Jonny with the kind of charisma to expect of an infamous man of crime; with a strong voice and an immeasurable amount of confidence and swagger, he really embodies the crime lord and man-of-the-house mentality. Another is Susie Blake, who plays her mother, Shirley. A dithering and forgetful old woman who wanders about the stage and quite hilariously provides much of the play’s comedic moments. With witty one-liners, brutal put-downs, and even prophetic ramblings about the devil walking amongst them, prompted by her trusty tarot card deck.
But stealing the show in the second half is Trainwreck, played by Peter Moreton. He is a bumbling oaf with a “quite unimpeachable character”. He is portrayed throughout as the loyal right-hand man and willing attack dog to Jonny, who does the dirty work. Deep down, he is a sensitive soul longing for companionship and for the just, socialist society that he preaches about throughout; however, it is his oafish antics that are a joy to watch more than anything else.
The play ends in a chaotic climax that at times moves at an unceasing pace and feels a little rushed, not having the calm and collected summing up of other whodunnit-style plays, where all the threads of a mystery are delicately tied up, slowly coming together in front of the audience. Whether this is a trait of the farcical style of this play or a slight oversight, it isn’t enough to detract from what is a performance worth watching for anyone who is a fan of thrilling, murder-filled stories or laugh-out-loud comedy with a bunch of extravagant characters with more money than sanity.
Runs until 7 March 2026 and on tour
