Reviewed by Amelia
Following four sell-out runs, London’s smash-hit comedy Cockfosters transfers to Southwark Playhouse Borough this Spring for a limited engagement. Written and produced by Hamish Clayton and Tom Woffenden, this off-the-rails one act show is jam packed with hilarity and as many trains puns as one can fit in a journey across the Piccadilly Line. We begin with a train guard going throughout the space and audience before the show even begins, placing you in the exact location as the actors themselves - Gareth Rowntree’s set design is faultless here. This is also coupled with a banging preshow playlist, which is filled with, you guessed it, loads of songs about trains. I must admit, Sound of the Underground is a great way to get the crowd ready for the performance.
We meet James (Sam Rees-Baylis) and Tori (Beth Lilly) who collide at London Heathrow tube station, having both been on very different holidays. Spending a whole hour sat on a tube with two characters who don’t even know each other may sound like a boring premise, but the interactions from the gorgeous ensemble ensures that boredom is the last thing on our minds. Encountering Arsenal fans, man-spreaders, awful ex-friends and ex-boyfriends, the pair take us on a tour of the best and worst of London’s folk in a not to be missed hit production.
Rees-Baylis and Lilly have great chemistry together and you can see why they’ve been attached to the project before. They’re both a bit awkward and unsure of how to play each situation they find themselves in, which only makes them more relatable to the audience. Out of the 5 millions journeys made on the tube everyday, it’s clear that each entertaining meeting in the show is not unlike anything that anyone else has ever experienced. They are joined by a marvellous ensemble cast of 4 who just put their everything into each role that they play. James Bryant, Liam Horrigan, Natasha Vasandani and Emily Waters are doing the absolute most in this show and, even though I did get picked on during the audience participation which is one of my worst nightmares, I’m still willing to look past it and champion their successful performances.
Cockfosters features original songs by Jay Foreman, Rich Longdon and Tom Woffenden woven in throughout the show. We have a busker, obviously at Leicester Square, and a hen do, obviously, singing about getting ‘Pissed’. One of my favourite parts of the show was the rap battle about what area of London was best. This got one of the biggest responses from the audience and highlighted the comedic timing and characterisation of each performer.
Clayton and Woffenden have written a great script here and Clayton’s direction only emphasises this. Blending the real life stories with comedy is a tough feat and can sometimes come across cringey, but this piece has perfect one liners and gags to keep us laughing the whole way through. Encapsulating this with an adorable love story only elevates the story and gives the audience something to root for. With everything going on, it seems as if the two characters won’t get the chance to make a pass but I must say we get an incredibly satisfying ending to it all that is just the cherry on top of the cake.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Cockfosters is playing at Southwark Playhouse Borough until the 17th of May. Tickets are available from https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/cockfosters/ See it, love it, sorted.
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