WHAT'S ON at CANAL CAFÉ THEATRE
Concise and easy to use
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
15, 29 Oct, 5 Nov
Chuckle along to a conversation between a bemused Boomer and a Millennial Podcaster.
Pop Talk is an imagined podcast between an innocent Boomer and a dynamic Millennial.
The world seen through the eyes of an ageing gent and a no holds barred dynamic podcaster. The sands are shifting for Michael who fears attack on all sides by relentless change in the new digitally complicated world. There is cut and thrust between Poppy and Michael as two worlds collide in mutual confusion. Let battle commence !
An alignment of the generations is unlikely but some understanding and sympathy on both sides might be possible we shall see. Michael is a meat and two veg person seeing the world very simply. Poppy thoroughly modern in her outlook is both amused and bemused by her interviewee who takes himself very seriously.
Pop Talk is a two handed sketch show played by Michael Baylis a mature alumnus of the Poor School (Class of 2018) and Poppy Taplin a talented drama school graduate. The piece is a structured improvisation with the potential to head off in many directions. At its heart is Michael a discombobulated boomer wishing for simpler times and a dynamic millennial podcaster trying to comprehend the older generation.
F*GGOTJACKET
17 - 19 Oct
Locked in a mental hospital, a soldier undergoes a fruitful treatment.
REJOICE!
YOU KILLED THE NAZIS.
NOW KILL THE F*GGOT WITHIN YOU.
Post WWII a soldier fights his biggest battle yet. Locked in a mental ward he will undergo a fruitful treatment. Strap in, darlings.
After a succesful run at the Camden Fringe, we’re taking F*ggotjacket to The Canal Cafe Theatre. F*ggotjacket, written by Julian Daye, is a play based on true experiences of the LGBTQ+ community in mental hospitals in a post-war Britain. F*ggotjacket handles the themes of internalized homophobia, war trauma, the forced domesticity of a post-war Britain and the judgment within marginalized communities. The nature of the play can be described as a gay mix between ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ and ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’. The play is taking notes from European theatre which is known for its rawness, forwardness and lack of sugarcoating, hence the title. Even though the patient is asked to move through his own fantasies within the treatment, nothing about the treatment will be left to the audience’s imagination.
Especially in the current political climate where LGBTQ+ rights are standing on quicksand, this play will hopefully evoke the audience to remember that we should not and are not going back to times like these.
THE SPOOKY SHOW
1 November 7.30pm
An improvised investigation into the paranormal — don’t be scared to be afraid!
This Halloween, step into the unknown with The Spooky Show: Improvised Investigation into the Paranormal —Performed for one night only at Canal Café Theatre, this playfully chilling, completely unscripted adventure invites you to experience a Halloween show like no other. Nothing is scripted, and everything is conjured live on stage by a fearless team of paranormal investigators. Together, they dive into hauntings, eerie mysteries, and supernatural surprises, all while twisting the tension with unexpected comedy. Ghostly encounters, creepy atmospheres, and unsettling characters are balanced with plenty of laughter and absurd discoveries that only improv can deliver.
Every performance of The Spooky Show is unique, but this special Halloween edition promises extra thrills and seasonal spookiness. One moment you might witness a haunted mansion, the next a séance gone wrong — each story vanishes into the night, never to be seen again.
The Halloween show this one-of-a-kind séance guarantees an evening of both frights and fun. Perfect for anyone who loves a good scare with a side of silliness, The Spooky Show is your ticket to a truly unforgettable night.
Join us — if you dare.
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).
LA BELLA BIMBA!
26 - 29 November
1920s New York, Two Italian women – through live music, clowning and vaudeville routines follow them chase stardom from gutters to glamour.
A new punchy cabaret by female lead company Theatre Gamine, it will bring the audience back to the 1920s from the point of view of two clumsy Italian immigrants, and their dream to become Broadway stars.
Our cabaret talks about two young women from Italy who move to New York to make their fortune, dreaming of becoming Broadway stars (which is hard when you don’t exactly look like Jean Harlow or any blond bombshell on a magazine). Our protagonists also don’t speak a word of English! The piece centres on the relationship between our performers and their audience. In fact, we will hardly speak any English, but we will create a connection with our audience through playing with language and physicality (especially through clowning).
Touching themes such as immigration, discrimination and identity: La Bella Bimba! Follows a successful run in July 2022 at Actors East and an R&D in April 2025 funded by Arts Council England.
ONE CHRISTMAS CAROL
2 - 7 December
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!
