Set on a tube carriage, Cockfosters is a surprisingly surreal comedy now enjoying on the Turbine Theatre
“I’ve always wanted to go to Lambeth North”
Much like a tube carriage on the Piccadilly Line at rush hour, Cockfosters manages to cram a rare quantity, even inside the hour of its operating time. What begins off seeming like a rom-com, as James and Tori each get on the Underground at Heathrow after holidays of various high quality and shortly get chatting, morphs into one thing nearer to a sketch present because the surreal takes over the storytelling.
The conceit is that they’re each going to Cockfosters, practically 40 stations away on the different finish of the road, offering ample alternative to get to know one another, if solely each cliché about London tube life didn’t get in the way in which. From beggars to buskers, clueless vacationers to that individual you’re attempting to keep away from, rowdy hen events to rowdy soccer crowds, there’s by no means a quiet second as is so usually true when you’ve tapped in along with your Oyster card.
At its greatest, Cockfosters could be very humorous. By selecting up on the smallest, truest to life particulars, the laughter of recognition is definitely procured by writers Tom Woffenden and Hamish Clayton. The barely intelligible aggression of platform attendants, the tendencies of Tube promoting, the labyrinths (probably the funniest joke of the evening), Richard Head…. Some of the surreal twists land so effectively too – the existential dread of being provided a seat, the Brief Encounter-esque skit, the Grim Reaper popping on for a fast experience.
At the identical time, a few of these interventions really feel somewhat drawn out or maybe not fairly as efficient. There’s a foray into viewers participation through a gameshow, a variety of musical interludes and some too many humorous walks however the fantastic thing about the format is that nothing ever sticks round too lengthy, we’re quickly off to the following station and the following gag. Saul Boyer and Beth Lilly lead the solid effectively because the central couple however Amy BIanchi, Ed Bowles, Charlie Keable, Kit Loyd and Natasha Vasandani provide nice help within the revolving carousel of fellow passengers.