REVIEW: THE FAKE MAN INSTITUTE by L. T. Hewitt at Golden Goose Theatre 11 – 22 August 2026

‘heavy topics seamlessly incorporated into a lightweight delivery; laugh out loud, energetic and a lot of fun.’ ★★★★

Three friends Michelle, Denny and Sebastian have set up a business with a new take on counselling. Women can come and role play their issues with men. Michelle is the founder and facilitates the sessions with ‘good guy’ Denny and ‘bad guy’ Sebastian. The sessions cover a number of contemporary issues: Cass has daddy issues, Joan keep being overlooked for promotion, Lucy is an influencer who isn’t getting her man and Owen has mild incel issues and thinks he might have more success if he was gay.   

As the story progresses some of the company’s ethical structures are exposed, mainly due to the blossoming romance between client and provider.    Michelle tries to rein it in without success, and then she confesses her own shortcomings which results in the business folding.

Writer T. L. Hewitt also plays Denny whose persona grows during the show.   The character is a little zany but quite lovable and this is one of the strengths of the play.  All the characters are likeable and have warmth, so not likely to put audience members on high alert considering the sensitive issues being raised.  The heavy topics are seamlessly incorporated into a lightweight delivery. It is all wrapped up in a lot of fun with laugh out loud lines and scenarios.

The overriding theme suggests that an obsession with notching up achievements in life, is counter-productive to our well- being. Chill out and enjoy time with friends is something that audiences might take away from the show.

All the performances work well, with Calum Goring playing unloved Owen on a knife edge between sanity and insanity with excruciating awkwardness. He’s playing in counterpoint to Brontë Beckett in the role of self confident influencer Lucy, sex starved and available for love.   It’s an obvious pairing, but this is comedy, so nothing runs smoothly until the very end when the various story lines in the play are tied up in a feel good resolution. 

All the actors play their roles well, but Brontë Beckett is a stand out, effortlessly and believably giving a picture of an influencer who spends more time on line rather than with people, and yet, she is surprised by her lack of success in relationships. Beckett throws herself into the role with the knack of knowing how far to push it, grounding her character in truth,   allowing her character flaws to show through along with a level of vulnerability.  A little niggle here, some of the actors go a little over the top and lose the credibility of their characters. 

Director Heather Collier does a terrific job considering the breadth of the themes, and story lines, but L. T. Hewitt’s script is a gift to comedy. It’s the perfect show for the fringe, without any need for expensive sets, sound or lighting or costume design.   These were all achieved nicely at a basic level, and sometimes the most fun can be had in a room with a great script and a cast who are able to play comedy.

Unseen Theatre presents

THE FAKE MAN INSTITUTE

11th to 22nd August

The Golden Goose, London, SE5 0RR

BOX OFFICE https://www.trybooking.com/uk/events/landing/118177

Cast:

Michelle – Rachel Greenwood

Denny – L. T. Hewitt

Sebastian – Charlie Wright

Cass – Sadi Masego

Lucy – Brontë Beckett

Owen – Calum Goring

Joan – Audrey Kong

Crew:

Writer: L. T. Hewitt

Director: Heather Collier

Producers: Heather Collier and L. T. Hewitt

Tech: Mig Dulevicius

Set design: Heather Collier and L. T. Hewitt