WHAT'S ON at THE BROCKLEY JACK THEATRE
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NOTE: Wheelchair access is available at this venue, please enquire when booking tickets.
The Mystery of Irma Vep – a Penny Dreadful
by Charles Ludlam
directed by Kate Bannister
presented by The Jack Studio Theatre
9 Dec - 4 Jan
The Mystery of Irma Vep returns to the Jack this Christmas!
Egyptologist Lord Edgar brings his new bride, Lady Enid, to the Hillcrest family home. But a dark shadow hangs over them in the shape of Irma Vep, Lord Edgar’s first wife who died in mysterious circumstances.
Will Lady Enid escape the fate of her predecessor? Will Lord Edgar find his mummy?
Join us this Christmas for mayhem and laughter in this gothic horror, quick-change tour-de-force.
Written by avant-garde American playwright, Charles Ludlam, actor, director and founder of The Ridiculous Theatrical Company.
Presented by the award-winning in-house team behind Montague’s Millions, Kindred Spirits, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, A Christmas Carol and The Invisible Man.
Early booking is recommended.
The Mystery of Irma Vep is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk
Press for previous productions
‘The Jack Christmas shows are always different… and as a Christmas outing is as good a treat as you could get.‘ ★★★★ Reviews Gate on Montague’s Millions
‘a thrilling mystery… It isn’t a typical Christmas play but its message is one that should resonate with anyone who enjoys a story that keeps you guessing, has a little bit of mystery, plenty of wit and an awful lot of heart.’ ★★★★ Theatre and Tonic on Montague’s Millions
‘the magical touch of the Jack Theatre team deliver a heart-warming Christmas treat.’ ★★★★ Fairy Powered Productions on A Christmas Carol
‘The Jack’s been building for a few years now an alternative Christmas tradition of reworked classic stories, and long may they continue if it’s as much fun as this. ★★★★ London Pub Theatres on The Invisible Man
written and performed by Mark Farrelly
directed by Linda Marlowe
14 - 17 January
“Ask yourself this. If there were no praise or blame – who would I be?”
Mark Farrelly’s hugely acclaimed solo play returns to the Jack Studio!
From a conventional upbringing to global notoriety via The Naked Civil Servant, Quentin Crisp was one of the most memorable figures of the twentieth century.
Naked Hope depicts the legendary Quentin Crisp at two phases of his extraordinary life. Firstly in the late 1960s in his filthy Chelsea flat (“Don’t lose your nerve: after the first four years the dust won’t get any worse”). Here Quentin surveys a lifetime of degradation and rejection. Repeatedly beaten for being flamboyantly gay as early as the 1930s, ostracised simply for daring to live life on his own terms.
The play then transitions the audience to New York in the 1990s. Here a much older Quentin, finally embraced by society, regales the audience with his sharply-observed, hard-earned philosophy on how to have a lifestyle: “Life will be more difficult if you try to become yourself. But avoiding this difficulty renders life meaningless. So discover who you are. And be it. Like mad!”.
Naked Hope is a glorious, uplifting celebration of the urgent necessity to be yourself.
Press for this production:
“An uncanny feat of resurrection. Farrelly’s mastery of his audience is total” ★★★★ Time Out
“A sensational performance”★★★★ Theatrescene.net
“Wonderful. Mark Farrelly channels Quentin Crisp brilliantly. It’s important to keep his voice alive!” Boy George
“A great show and a terrific performance.” Peter Tatchell
“Captivating and wonderfully compelling!” Sir Matthew Bourne
North West End ★★★★★
Sardines Magazine ★★★★★
All That Dazzles ★★★★★
Theatre and Art Reviews ★★★★★
written and performed by Declan Duffy
29 Dec - 31Jan
You’re born in one country. But your parents come from a different one. So what does that make you?
And what if the two countries in question share a profound and complex history, one of conquest and subjugation, of resistance and rebellion? But which happen to be closest neighbours across the Irish Sea, and have grown to a mutual understanding, and (a sometimes uneasy) co-existence?
Where do you find your identity? How do you define yourself? Are you British? Or are you Irish? Or don’t you know?
Join Declan Duffy as he attempts to make some good sense out of it all. He’ll consider the history of Irish migration to Britain, the difficulties encountered by the people who made that journey, and how all of it has influenced us, their descendants, in our consideration of who we are, what we are.
Press for this production
“Hilarious, informative and thought-provoking. Totally relatable to second- and third-generation Irish.” The Irish World
“This powerful, funny and moving show dives into migration, identity and the complex ties between Britain and Ireland.” Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith
