Reviewer: Christine Stanton
Writers: Tom Woffenden & Hamish Clayton
Director: Hamish Clayton
“TFL (Terrific, Fantastic, Loveable)”
5 / 5
If you’ve ever spent a single day in London – no doubt you will have experienced the joys of the underground. The sweaty armpits in your face at rush hour, the 15-mile in station hike between tube lines at Paddington or the escape room style exit confusion at Bank. But instead of slating TFL, Cockfosters instead weaves all of the unenjoyable, bizarre and frustrating experiences of the tube into a comedic romcom style tapestry, making you leave surprisingly quite fond of the underground – until the next delay at least.
Strangers James (Saul Boyer) and Victoria (Beth Lilly) have both jumped on the tube from Heathrow after their respective holidays abroad. Victoria was in Mexico on a (fabulous sounding) yoga & Jäger retreat, while James was on what was supposed to be a romantic getaway in Venice, that had left him single & nursing his broken heart. Much to the shock, horror and dismay of the audience, the pair strike up a conversation (the most unbelievable part of this surrealist comedy) and start getting to know each other. As the stations roll past, a stream of other passengers get on – from a loved up old couple who had met on the train years ago, to brash American tourists baffled at which Clapham stop they’re supposed to be heading to. As the pair slowly grow fonder of eachother, they simultaneously become fonder of the tube itself – and all of the quirky characters they encounter on the way.
Writers Tom Woffenden & Hamish Clayton have created an absolute gem of a story that had the audience laughing out loud from beginning to end. Packed with puns and silly encounters, this fast-moving, energetic show is impossible not to love. Although they’re not being sponsored by TFL – they absolutely should be! They flip the downsides of commuting into funny sketches, synonymous with each location – such as a bunch of chanting football fans at Arsenal, or a drunken hen party with their life size cut out of Tina Fey. While some of the jokes work slighlty better if you’re very familiar with the tube – such as the brilliant section about tube adverts and those obscure ‘poems on the underground’ posters, the humour is so well-executed that it’s funny even if you don’t necessarily get some of the references.
It’s clear that the cast understandably enjoy performing Cockfosters – their enthusiasm shining through within each scene, making it hard not to smile along with them. Beth Lilly & Saul Boyer are believable as the strangers with a budding romance, their characters likeable personalities are encouraging leads at the heart of the story. Kit Loyd and Charlie Keable are both hilarious as the various characters they play – with expert comedic timing as they merge into each person with ease – whether it’s the obnoxious, aptly named friend Richard Head or the exaggerated Italian waiter, they nail every personality required to a tee. Ed Bowles shines in his role as busker, impressively reciting a portion of the tube station song alongside another musical number, keeping energy high and the audience engaged. Natasha Vasandani and Amy Bianchi host a fun tube quiz show midway through the show, with interesting facts and figures, along with a sprinkling of audience participation. This quiz, along with the scene about the origin of how the tube came about adds an enjoyably informative layer to the comedy.
Outisde of the narrative itself, set designer Gareth Rowntree and director Hamish Clayton ensure that the experience is immediately recognisable, relatable and accurate. Mind the gap stickers are posted on the steps, a busker (Ed Bowles) welcomes you in with a song, platform announcer (Charlie Keable) advises through his megaphone when the show is about to begin while The Jam’s Going Underground plays over the speakers. This could have easily just been written as a straightforward romcom but the research into the history and intricacies of the London Underground add a whole extra layer – making this as much of a love story between the commuters and the tube as it is between the characters themselves.
Give these guys a bigger platform because they’re definitely on track for success with this fantastic show. While on the surface, it’s a humorously ridiculous, surreal comedy – it’s also a perfect summary of tube travel and why it’s both brilliant and horrendous all at the same time. The only flaw with this show is your cheeks will be in pain from the amount you smile along with the cast throughout.
See it, say it’s brilliant, sort yourself out with another ticket to watch it again.
Runs Until 20 January 2024
RatedReviewed 