WHAT'S ON at CANAL CAFÉ THEATRE
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TOP PICK - all the year round
NEWSREVUE
Four nights a week
Thursday – 7.30pm
Friday – 9.30pm
Saturday – 9.30pm
Sunday – 7.00pm
The world’s longest running live comedy show. A fast-moving mix of sketches and songs, NewsRevue propels you through the world’s news and current events at breakneck pace — all-kicking, idol-burning comedy, with brand new content injected into the show weekly by a crack team of writers and cast alike.
This current affairs parody song and sketch show is acknowledged as a “rite of passage for all comedy newcomers” (Chortle). Alumni include The League of Gentlemen, Sarah Pascoe, Bill Bailey, Saskia Reeves and Michelle Collins. The cast members, described as having “Herculean levels of talent” (WhatsOnStage.com), together with an on-stage musical director receive 5-star reviews at Edinburgh Fringe Festival every year. Masochistically popular amongst politicians, you may see an MP in the audience!
Introducing the NewsRevue Season Pass!
For just £99, the pass is designed so that you can come and see each run of the year (7 standard runs, our Edinburgh Previews and our Christmas run), and make major savings compared to buying individual tickets!
For more information and to book, head to our
website
JOLLY: A PLAY ABOUT PYRATES
3 - 6 September
Condemned! For high seas pyracy! Friends of no nation! Guilty of feral crymes against the crowne! Three anarchic pyrates in their final hours.
Locked in a brig and sailing to certain death, three raucous pyrates have their fellowship hanging by a thread. When a rebellious crew member is thrown into their cell they see an opportunity to escape.
Will they unite behind this common goal, or fall divided?
Pirates have been mythologised throughout the centuries for their brutal violence, but the surprisingly progressive aspects of their lifestyle are often forgotten. While British and Spanish empires committed atrocities in the ‘new world’, these friends of no nation were championing a society of democracy,
equality, and freedom.
In a time of rising populism, when social divisions are becoming ever more entrenched and the legacy of empire looms, ‘Jolly’ channels the ‘long gone’ era of pirates to satirise our modern political landscape. With a smirk and a bottle of rum, this play suggests that perhaps those vagabonds of the salty seas, with their radical resistance to imperial expansion, aren’t as far off in history as we think.
With shaky candle-lit lighting, rousing sea shanties, and irreverent humour, ‘Jolly’ explores the myth, reality and politics of pirates by combining historical sources and archival research with fiction.
Sorry, I Can’t Come Into Work. My Cat Died.
19 & 20 September
Then it didn’t. …Oops.
An absurdist dark comedy about grief, avoidance, and one very old cat… who happens to be a Leo.
Ivy’s cat dies. Then comes back. No one believes her, and she’s left dealing with the mess – emotionally, logistically, and spiritually – while trying to say goodbye properly (and figure out how to spell “eulogy”… harder than expected).
The piece follows Ivy’s week as she tries to hold onto her job, her flat, and whatever’s left of her sanity after it turns out her cat never actually died. “Whose ashes are these?” becomes a real and pressing concern.
It’s fast-paced, character-driven, and lives somewhere between Extraordinary and Candide: absurd, sincere, and a little bit unhinged.
Beneath the chaos, it’s a show about loneliness, corporate wellness theatre, and the difficulty of cleaning up a mess you didn’t mean to make – especially when you’re the only one left in the room.
Same Shift, Different Day
24 September
A comedy two-hander walking us through the CVs of two girls who are trying all trades and mastering
none.
Joanne and Clare are trying Joanne’s best. Clare is snacking, googling people from school and only now learning the difference between ‘cold sore’ and ‘coleslaw’. Despite Joanne’s efforts, things go awry and the hapless duo struggle to hold down work.
With their CVs filling up (and not in a qualified, accomplished way), how many jobs will they rattle through until one sticks?
And as Clare always says, “What’ll be the camel’s last straw?”
One half NewsRevue alumni and the other half Welsh person, Marina Johnson and Kathryn Pridgeon are proud to present the rehearsed reading of their debut show Same Shift Different Day.
Audience feedback from their scratch at The Pleasance included:
“Love them as a pair.”
“Hilarious physical comedy and comedic timing.”
“You couldn’t help but root for them.”
“Absolutely incredible piece! So well written!”
“Genuine, heartfelt moments punctuated a hilarious friendship
FIASCO!
3 & 4 October
The true(ish) story of a fringe musical gone horribly wrong.
The year is 2018. Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You blasts out of the speakers of every high street store and car radio, plastic straws are OUT, bisexual lighting is IN, Queer Eye is BACK, Hamilton clears up at the Oliviers, Meghan marries Harry, Cardi B throws a shoe at Nicki Minaj, and our narrator has unknowingly
just joined the cast of the worst musical production to ever grace the London theatre scene.
This is the true(ish) story of what happened during that contract. If you like showbiz gossip, shows-within-shows, comedy, musicals, musical-comedy and/or Ash Weir as a person, there’s a good chance you’ll like this WIP. Fiasco! is a salacious send up of, and love letter to fringe musical theatre, its
many eccentricities, foibles and disasters.
If you’re interested, you should probably come and see it now, because there’s a non-zero chance it’ll receive a cease-and-desist before it goes anywhere else…
6 - 11 October
A comedic drama exploring the power of music and its ability to unite.
As the Snow Falls follows Kenneth and Sam – two men from starkly different cultural backgrounds, both abandoned by society in very contrasting ways.
Despite their differences, they are ultimately united by a shared grief and a love of music. This powerful comedic drama examines the shifting social landscape and its impact on an often overlooked demographic. Through the lens of an ever diminishing pub culture, Kenneth and Sam’s unlikely connection emerges from one man’s desperate search for meaning.
The play explores themes of cultural starvation, male isolation, suicide, toxic masculinity, knife crime and division through technology – ultimately questioning what happens when the arts are stripped away from the working class.
KILL FOR THE PART
12 - 15 November
4 out of work actors, 2 murders and 1 chaotic battle for stardom in a twisted backstage comedy…
When Olivia finally finishes writing the murder mystery she promised her friends years ago, she’s determined to stage it. But with diva tantrums, last-minute cast changes, and an A-list director rumoured to be in the audience, chaos is inevitable.
Welcome to Kill For The Part—a play within a play where ambition runs wild, egos clash, and everyone’s dying for the spotlight. Literally. Watch from first rehearsal to opening night, as tensions rise, secrets unravel, and the line between performance and reality begins to blur.
Expect murder, misguided love affairs, casting disputes, and a showstopping song that no one remembers rehearsing. Written and directed by Lucy Blunt in her debut production, this quick witted comedy is packed with theatrical mayhem and a twist proving the most dangerous thing on stage, is
an actor with something to prove (and rent imminently due).
ONE CHRISTMAS CAROL
2 - 7 October
A powerful one-man tour de force, delivering Dickens’ timeless tale with heart, humour, and unforgettable clarity.
Experience the magic of Charles Dickens’ classic tale as you’ve never seen it before. One Christmas Carol is a spellbinding one-man tour de force, where acclaimed actor Gwithian Evans brings over 35 characters to life onstage in a masterful display of storytelling, passion, and precision.
From Ebenezer Scrooge to Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley, Bob Cratchitt, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, each character emerges vividly without a single costume change or elaborate set. Armed only with three mismatched chairs and the power of performance, Evans guides us on a deeply moving journey through themes of greed, regret, compassion, and ultimately—redemption.
This stripped-back, high-impact production dispenses with holiday excess in favor of something far more meaningful: the enduring heart of the story. With nothing to distract, the spotlight falls firmly on the message that has inspired generations.
A Vintage Christmas
16 December
A cornucopia of Christmas classics.
Join us in a celebration of yuletide nostalgia – gorgeously glam, fun and festive.
La Petite Valise, the ever vivacious Ms Janey Gardiner and tickling the ivories musical maestro Mr Will Hall, give their very own and unique cabaret twist to all your favourite Christmas songs.
The intimate cabaret space of Canal Café Theatre provides the perfect setting to immerse yourself in pre Christmas loveliness, delicious, delightful and decadent measures of intoxicating Christmas spirit.
From Santa Baby and Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer to Felice Navidad, Fa La La La La, La La La La.
All that remains is for you to relax, indulge and enjoy!
