Review: COCKFOSTERS, Turbine Theatre
Tom Woffenden and Hamish Clayton's off-the-rails comedy returns to the Turbine Theatre
By: Mica Blackwell Aug. 16, 2024
It may sound redundant to some that a person would write a play about the London Underground right next to a busy tube station, but Tom Woffenden and Hamish Clayton’s comedy Cockfosters has found success with three sold-out runs, making its return to the Turbine Theatre this August.
Two strangers, James and Tori, meet on the tube following disastrous holidays. Starting from Heathrow, they take the winding and often bizarre journey down all 53 stops of the Piccadilly Line to Cockfosters, meeting a colourful cast of characters and learning some interesting trivia about the London Underground along the way.
As one out of millions who relies on the tube to travel around the capital, Woffenden and Clayton’s writing stays on the right track on what buttons to push with people’s grievances of the tube’s groundbreaking yet contentious legacy. From that one person who plays music on full blast on their phone to the constant vitamin ads endorsed by Tess Daly, to loud American tourists mispronouncing line names, what feel like broad stereotypes have a relatable edge as it’s almost guaranteed people have experienced the situations at least once (I can name a few personal examples). If all the laughs and groans at press night were any indication, they certainly succeeded.
Cockfosters’ one-hour running time may be shorter than the real-life hour and a half journey down the Piccadilly line, but Clayton’s direction keeps the story and humour as fast paced as the tube from Leicester Square to Covent Garden. Consisting of skits, flashbacks and catchy original songs with slick transitions courtesy of Ben Sayers’ lighting, they make Gareth Rowntree’s static yet familiar set of a tube carriage feel exciting. It even adds room for immersiveness, with crumpled Evening Standard newspapers scattered across seats. For once, the rumblings of the tube over the bridge weren’t a distraction.
Sam Rees-Baylis and Beth Lily bring over the top wit and chemistry as rom-com caricature leads James and Tori. One unlucky in love and the other going through a quarter life crisis, both carry the story with charm and plenty of laughs as we and they get to know each other (including a vendetta against a stranger in a Winnie the Pooh costume).
The ensemble instead play a variety of roles ranging from eccentric passengers to flashing back to the tube's Victorian era origins. Kit Lloyd’s hilarious set of roles include obnoxious friend Richard, the Grim Reaper and a homeless man whose riches escalate from a £2.80 check to a Taylor Swift ticket (all the more funnier as press night fell on the Eras tour’s return to London).
Natasha Vasandani is a standout, interacting with the audience as a frazzled quiz host, but elicits gut-busting laughter in her monologue as a woman going through an existential crisis when offered a seat. Harry Bradley churns out a variety of accents as a bizarre ticket inspector and hardcore Arsenal fan, while Ed Bowles’ busker makes a song listing every tube station memorable, even making a pre-show cameo.
A laugh-out loud riot perfect for anyone who’s put up with the London Underground, Cockfosters captures the love-hate relationship we’ve all had with it over the last 160 years. It’s fast, convenient and entertaining, but also makes light of its several issues in the best way. Featuring a cast who nail the comedy and clearly having the time of their lives, I urge you to get the next train to Battersea Power Station Station (not a typo) to see it.
Cockfosters runs at the Turbine Theatre until August 31.
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