Succubus at The Courtyard Theatre

You can tell when a performer comes from the world of burlesque. There is a specific kind of physical confidence, a command of the stage, and an absolute commitment to making the audience look where you want them to look. Georgina Collins, aka comedy burlesque artist Strawberry Duvall, has that presence in spades.

In Succubus at The Courtyard Theatre, Collins writes and stars as a literal female maneater. With more than a nod to Little Shop of Horrors, Succubus is a gory, clever, and often deeply funny piece of theatre that engages you from the very first moment. The writing flows easily, packed with cracking one-liners and sharp storytelling. Along the way, we meet a gallery of well-observed male victims and a female ally. Collins uses the premise to offer some keen insight into dating, men, and society. It elevates the show beyond a simple schlock horror stunt, leaning into a wider social commentary on misogyny and feminism.

Technically, the production punches well above its weight. Production designers Toby & Dan Silver give us a simple but highly versatile set. Clear lighting cues transition the action smoothly between various settings. The costume changes mirror our protagonist’s descent as she fully embraces her cannibalistic era. Impeccable sound design pairs gruesome, stomach-churning effects with perfectly timed voiceovers.

Collins gives a brilliant performance. She owns the entire space with solid comic timing. Even though I knew it was all stage craft, the scenes where she greedily devours her prey made me feel genuinely queasy. (I am not usually one for horror, so this tested my mettle!)

Is she a succubus in the traditional folklore sense? Not quite. While she lures men with the promise of sex, her actual gratification comes from the feast itself. She feels more like a woman demonised by the sheer weight of her experiences with men upon reaching adulthood combined with a naive social awkwardness.

Where the show stumbles a little is the final stretch. Just as the commentary on misogyny builds momentum, the narrative engine runs out of steam and didn’t quite bring the thematic ideas from earlier in the piece to a satisfying conclusion. Despite that, Succubus is an entertaining, sharp, and bold show. Collins is a magnetic performer, and there is more than enough wit and craft here to make it well worth a watch. The writing is fresh and it’s good to support emerging writers and performers and here, Collins does both well. 

Plus The Courtyard Theatre is an interesting venue with a cosy, reasonably priced bar to hangout in before the show. Succubus is now booking until 28 October. Get your halloween gore in early and book tickets here https://thecourtyardtheatre.seetickets.com/tour/succubus

Cast & Creatives

Performer / Writer: Georgina Collins (aka Strawberry Duvall)
Director: Grainne Robson
Production Design: Toby & Dan Silver
Production Company: Halfway Productions

The Seafarer at Greenwich Theatre

Conor McPherson’s The Seafarer is a masterclass in dark, comic Irish storytelling and the Putney Arts Theatre transfer their production to Greenwich Theatre with total confidence. The result is an authentic, engaging, and atmospheric evening which does total justice to the original script.

Set in a slightly run-down North Dublin home just before Christmas, the play follows two brothers and their friends in their slightly chaotic, alcohol-fuelled lives. It explores the relationship and loyalty between them as well as their struggles and secrets. Darker moments from their past re-emerge amongst the banter and ribaldry. And then there’s an unexpected visitor who disrupts their status quo.

From the moment the show opens, the environment feels completely real with the set design showing great attention to detail. Occupied and visited entirely by men, the room looks appropriately worn and lived-in without ever feeling claustrophobic on Greenwich’s wide stage. Subtle touches, such as the flickering candle beneath the Sacred Heart image on the stairs, the light in the window, and the glowing fire grate, all add depth to the space. The use of the off-stage areas was well done too so although we could only see one room, it did feel like a whole house. Well-observed costumes, solid sound effects, and simple, effective lighting round out the production seamlessly. 

The cast handles McPherson’s natural, fluid dialogue with precise comic timing. Physical and verbal comedy balance the play’s darker and more supernatural elements effectively. This is a play that reveals secrets and the fallibility of the human condition with both a dose of reality and of the supernatural.

Eugene Duffy leads the company as James ‘Sharky’ Harkin. Duffy delivers a grounded, multi-layered performance, capturing Sharky's struggles and dark past intertwined with the reality of living with and caring for his older brother. Ian Cooke is equally strong as Sharky’s blind, ruffian brother, Richard. Playing sightless is a difficult technical challenge, but Cooke delivers it well. James Ross Turner stands out as Ivan Curry, serving as a brilliant foil to the two brothers yet has his own struggles and secrets which are revealed as the play progresses. Turner also brings some fantastic physical comedy to the role, making the hapless Ivan endearing and easy to root for.

The supporting cast completes this tight ensemble. Nick Thomas injects fresh energy and humor into the room as Nicky Giblin. Matthew Flexman brings gravitas to Mr. Lockhart. Flexman executes his late-play monologue with poetic precision, landing its full emotional weight. Throughout the night, the cast uses every inch of the stage, and the space offstage, to build a vivid world.

This is a rich, beautifully acted production that stays true to its North Dublin roots. This Go see it! Playing at Greenwich Theatre until 24 October 2026 with tickets for around £25. A bargain for a play of this quality. Book here https://greenwichtheatre.org.uk/events/the-seafarer/

Brainsluts at Seven Dials Playhouse

What happens when you trap four millennials in a hospital waiting room without WiFi? Dan Bishop's "Brainsluts" answers that question with both warmth and sharp wit in this Edinburgh Fringe hit that's now playing at The Seven Dials Playhouse in Covent Garden.

The premise is deceptively simple: four strangers participate in a clinical trial, spending one day a week over several weeks testing a mysterious new drug. When the WiFi fails and phone signals disappear, their planned day of doom-scrolling gets derailed, forcing actual human interaction. What follows is a masterclass in character comedy that feels both absurd and painfully relatable.

Dr Eavis (Emmeline Downie) oversees the chaos as the slightly frazzled researcher whose narration bookends each week's events. Downie strikes the perfect balance between professional authority and imposter-syndrome induced panic. Her commentary provides both structure and laughs as the situation unfolds.

The four guinea pigs or ‘brainsluts’ are brilliantly realised millennials. Kathy Maniura's Bathsheba floats through life in bohemian bliss, stringing beads while blissfully unaware of reality crashing around her. Robert Preston delivers a pitch-perfect performance as Duggan, the desperately eager young man whose attempts to connect fall flat through his social incompetence and inability to read the room. Dan Bishop (who also wrote the piece) embodies Mitch, the work-shy activist who views the drug trial as political resistance, while Bethan Pugh's Yaz initially seems the quietest of the bunch, lacking confidence and preferring to observe from the sidelines.

As the WiFi-free hours stretch on during the weekly visits, these characters reveal themselves in funny and unexpected ways. Bishop's writing sparkles with both comedy and uncomfortable truth as the lengths people will go to fill silence become apparent. The oversharing escalates, secrets spill, and modern life's absurdities get laid bare.

The comedy hits from the opening moments. Bishop has crafted dialogue that flows naturally while landing consistent laughs. His characters feel authentic rather than constructed, their neuroses and insecurities recognisable without being mean-spirited. There is some physical comedy too which complements the verbal wit beautifully. I particularly enjoyed the wonderfully surreal meditation scenes. Who knew that a guided meditation could (a) be funny and (b) reveal so much about each character.

Directors Noah Geelan and Seth Jordan, with associate director Rohan Sharma, make excellent use of the simple hospital waiting room set. The staging maintains energy and pace in the confined space, ensuring the action never feels static despite the limited setting. The cast maximizes every inch of the small stage, their movements and interactions keeping the audience engaged throughout.

What makes "Brainsluts" work so well is how it uses comedy to explore genuine themes about connection, loneliness, and modern life as experienced by young people. It exposes, perhaps, how our digital dependencies have changed the way we relate to each other. The characters' struggles to communicate face-to-face feel both funny and slightly tragic, a mirror to our own anxieties.

The performances are uniformly strong, with each actor fully committed to their character's particular brand of millennial dysfunction. Preston's physical comedy as the socially inept Duggan is particularly memorable, while Maniura brings genuine warmth to what could have been a one-note hippie stereotype. Bethan Pugh’s Yaz shows there’s much more to her than her anxiety. Emmeline Downey as Dr Eavis showed us a lot more depth than I was expecting as her own story is revealed at the end. Dan Bishop shows impressive range as both writer and performer. He nailed the politically passionate Mitch.

Having conquered Edinburgh, "Brainsluts" translates perfectly to London audiences who'll recognise themselves and people they know or have met in these characters. It's rare to find a play that's genuinely funny while also having something meaningful to say about contemporary life.

This is a smart, laugh-out-loud comedy that doesn't sacrifice substance for laughs and is relatable whether or not you're a Millennial. If you're looking for a short play about modern life that'll make you think while making you laugh, "Brainsluts" delivers exactly that. 

Brainsluts runs at The Seven Dials Playhouse until 13 February. Running time 70 minutes.