REVIEW: CUTLASS by William Hartley at the Glitch 29 July – 3 August 2026

‘it was a pleasure to spend an evening with “sexy pirate Stanley Tucci”.’ ★★★★

The life of a pirate isn’t easy. Captain Springsmile Jack knows this more than most; he’s borne the brunt of 17th-century Britain’s anti-pirate sentiment. When we meet him, he and his pirate crew are up against four naval ships, commanded by a suitably hellbent-on-destroying-him admiral. This is after that same admiral slaughtered Jack’s previous crew and had his wife and child hanged (in case you were in any doubt about who to root for in this tale). What follows from this set-up is an action-packed hour of pirate hijinks.

There’s so much to love about this one-man show. Actor-writer William Hartley has produced a script jam-packed with jokes that are equal parts ridiculous and hilarious. He brings them to life with a committed physical performance, jumping into and out of roles with non-stop energy and an endless ability to pull new accents out of his hat. He’s a joy to watch. Hartley’s work is brilliantly supported by Phil Croft’s direction. The stripped-back set allows us to move fluidly between locations and leaves the heavy lifting to the sound design. Part score, part cartoonish soundboard, the audio complements and amplifies the story, sharpening punchlines and perfectly reflecting the heightened version of reality we find ourselves in.

If I had one issue with the play, it would be the narrative itself. The story occasionally feels convoluted. There are a lot of characters (including one antagonist too many), and the opening becomes a Russian nesting doll of flashbacks. Certain characters are underbaked – not least of all Jack, who is sold to us as a Robin Hood pirate who shows mercy, yet seconds later is holding the face skin of a man he’s just killed whilst delivering a pun that would make James Bond blush (“At least you didn’t lose any face”). Meanwhile, his dead wife and child remain little more than tragic motivations, a choice that feels less like artistic intent and more like a means of cutting down the runtime.

Nonetheless, it’s hard to hold a grudge against a piece that is so entertaining. In all, it was a pleasure to spend an evening with “sexy pirate Stanley Tucci.”



Cutlass by William Hartley / The Glitch / 29 July – 3 August 2026

https://www.tickettailor.com/events/vaultcreativearts/2149752

Photo credit: Larissa Pinkham