‘Any nation that devours another will one day devour itself.’
Set when The Great Devouring comes home, England & Son is a one-man play written specifically for the award-winning political comedian Mark Thomas by award-winning playwright Ed Edwards (The Political History of Smack and Crack) and the first play that Mark has ever performed in that he has not also written.
With some deep, dark laughs and some deep, dark love along the way, England & Son emerges from characters Mark knew in his childhood and Ed’s lived experience in jail. Prepare to be taken on a kaleidoscopic odyssey where disaster capitalism, empire, stolen youth and stolen wealth merge into the simple tale of a working-class boy who just wants his dad to smile at him.
Performed by Mark Thomas
Written by Ed Edwards
Directed by Cressida Brown
Ticket Price £17 (option B - the venue operates a dynamic pricing system with three price options - this was the middle one).
Mark has always been a great storyteller, seeking out the humour and farce in the grimmest corners of our culture, highlighting the wrongdoings of those in power, and sharing his passion for the ordinary people who go to extraordinary lengths to stand up for their rights. Throughout the years, his shows have matured into more theatrical pieces so this play seems a natural evolution for him, moving further away from stand-up into the realms of performance. Although he didn't write it, it was written for him so the material was a natural fit.
He comes on in the first half with a chair and a mug, casually sitting in front of us to introduce the play with a tale about how he knows the playwright and how the pair work together to support an addict recovery group through classes in writing, comedy and storytelling. He introduces us to these addicts by going around the group, acting out their personalities from his chair mimicking their accents, mannerisms and physicality, as they relate their life stories through the three-act structure that Ed is teaching them. The irony is not lost on him that this section, prior to the actual play, is a stipulation from the venue to facilitate an interval so they can sell more alcohol. It's not a long half, lasting not much more than twenty minutes, but serves him well to warm us up.
After the interval, he has changed out of his initial apparel into his costume, a T-shirt and joggers, and the performance begins. He's on the floor, waking in a dumpster behind a Waterstone's pub as the reversing sound of a bin lorry gets louder. He manages to crawl out but his pal, Paul, is not so lucky. Then we go back in time to find out how he came to be there. It is a compelling piece with humour and pathos and an honest grimness about how someone can fall through the cracks, be rescued and still fall further. It ends with a satisfying, apt twist that I did not see coming.
Mark gives a powerful tour de force. It's proper theatre. Many of the audience stand to give him the ovation he deserves. It's so good I'd love for someone like Ken Loach to turn this into a film. I'm sure Mark (and Ed) would love that too.
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