Ready and raring to go screeching down the un-lubricated tracks, Cockfosters delivers all the elements of a tourist friendly, whacky, immersive theatre-like experience. It is making its way to its final destination on the 31 of August, at the Turbine Theatre, so if you like(?) the London Underground, but you also like complaining about it, this is most certainly the show for you.
Throughout, the ever-familiar Julie Berry (soon to be replaced by a synthesised voice called Eloise… thanks AI) booms over the tannoy to bring the show to its authentic life and helps stay true to the feel of being on the underground. However, using sound effects for the wrong tube line, lost the authentic Piccadilly line experience.
The excellent set design (Gareth Rowntree) may fit right at home at London’s Transport Museum, and the lighting design (Ben Sayers) also did its part in convincingly transporting us on to the train and beyond. The use of snippet scene and lighting changes, from a yoga retreat to a roaring rave, and the quiz show to win £2.80 (I’m waiting for my prize), helped to remind the audience that, though the London Underground is still our base, it’s the world around us that makes the experience of the Tube quite novel, and certainly very odd. The Tube names for one are a head-scratcher. The audience also learned a thing or two about the Tube’s origins, and it is no surprise that Youtubers Jay Foreman and Richard Longdon got tangled up in the show’s conception; maybe Jago Hazzard or Geoff Marshall, who know a thing or two about the Tube, are hurtling towards the Turbine Theatre to fact check the show as we speak!
Whilst the general plot is as watery as the bottom of a stuffed bin bag at tourist-central Leicester Square, the revolving door of brilliantly devised characters makes up for it. Two strangers get (awkwardly) chatting on the tube, and collectively witness our city’s weirdest, most eccentric and downright exhausting characters. The core team’s (Tom Woffenden and Hamish Clayton) vision throws in buskers, hen-dos, annoying childhood friends, football fans, American tourists, pensioners and people going about their regular old days.
The cast’s (Amy Bianchi, Beth Lilly, Harry Bradley, Kit Loyd, Natasha Vasandani, Sam Rees-Baylis and Ed Bowles) sheer ability to wear multiple hats and don different characters, was probably the best part of the show. At times, however, it felt quite hard to keep up with, and whilst the show isn’t heavy on the intellectual, there was a lot of assumed knowledge going on.
The actors make heavy use of space (not a true reflection of the tube… there’s never any space) and physically embody a vast array of personalities, thanks to the excellent choreographing (Amy Bianchi). Without a doubt, Cockfosters is an excellent and masterfully produced show, which takes advantage of one of Londoner’s easiest subjects for small talk. It pokes fun at, marvels at, and takes the time to appreciate that this city has indeed become more colourful because of the historic Tube lines. This is a show for people who nerd out about which tube station has the longest escalator. Every journey matters, and this one will no doubt be a continued hit for the summer.
Cockfosters embarks at the Turbine Theatre until 31st August - for more information and tickets, you can follow the link here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Marshall Stay
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