- November 2019
Sidney Bruhl, an academic and struggling playwright, has writer's block. That is until he reads Deathtrap, a tour-de-force murder mystery laden with plot twists, psychological horror and emotional intensity. It’s just a shame that an unproven upstart wrote the masterpiece – but what if there was a way Sidney could make it his own? Time to invite the playwright round for tea…
Deathtrap, arguably Ira Levin's greatest play, still holds the record for the longest-running comedy-thriller on Broadway, consistently staggering audiences for decades. Now, brought to life at the ADC Theatre, Deathtrap promises an all-too-real comedy-thriller that hits like no other.
"I'd like to beat the wretch over the head with the mace there, bury him in a four-hundred-pound hole somewhere, and send the thing off under my own name."
- November 2019
Your suggestions create a hilarious, dark, new story every night. Think trench coats, dark alleys, gruff voices, and a complete disregard for human life.
Will you see two rival gangs battling over possession of a kidnapped politician? A lone gunman taking on the full force of the mafia to avenge a dead lover? A corrupt policeman who will stop at nothing to find their lost kitten?
The audience will decide...
#WhimCityImprov
Access Info: https://access-cambridge.fandom.com/wiki/ADC_Theatre (Main Theatre)
- November 2019
"If you can't be famous, be infamous". Chicago, the winner of 6 Tony awards and the longest-running American musical in Broadway history, is a story of seduction, murder, and showbiz. Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, Chicago is the story of Roxie Hart, a chorus girl who maliciously murders her on-the-side lover. Desperate to avoid conviction, she fools the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her crime into fame.
A tale full of corruption, murder and deception. Oh, and all that jazz.
- October–November 2019
Dragtime! is back with another hour of cabaret fun and this time it's getting spooky :O Cambridge's premiere drag troupe return to the ADC with their very first Halloween themed show, presenting the best new drag talent the city has to offer. Hold on to your seats as Dragtime!'s kings, queens and inbetweens take you on a thrill-inducing ride through the dark side of drag, featuring singing, lip sync, spoken word, pole dance, burlesque, live music and more!
- October–November 2019
"My stars shine darkly over me"
When twins Viola and Sebastian are shipwrecked and separated on the strange city of Illyria, the two are forced to assimilate into a heightened world of hedonism and grief, laughter and cruelty. Viola’s attempts to integrate into the privileged centre of this modern city, disguised as Cesario, are complicated when she falls in love with Duke Orsino, who is himself in love with Olivia.
Twelfth Night is a tale of unrequited love and mistaken identity, a brilliant blend of hilarity and melancholy.
★★★★★, The Tab: https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2019/10/31/review-twelfth-night-3-127504
★★★★ 1/2, TCS: https://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/review-twelfth-night-2/?fbclid=IwAR3sUTKFJKkMGzLUWtBVTm2MtXxZGwHGZeiCkRO4SetVJfg7lS5bJjlWCZM
★★★★, Varsity: https://www.varsity.co.uk/theatre/18150?fbclid=IwAR0dzN0_GCHlEjUAb9Ng1vBfKErPZQvahvUDw5XRM1MIptTkCnKyvrr-hZQ
- October 2019
‘You’ve got to do something pretty damn impressive to not get into heaven these days. Inflation hit us pretty bad as well.’
A quasi-uplifting comedy about interdimensional lovers faced with mortality, bureaucracy and the crushing boredom of eternity.
Upon stepping into the arrivals lounge, Will is informed that he is in holding for divine punishment. Either Hell, or worse - a bottom karma-band reincarnation and return to Earth. With only seven days to seek redemption and secure his place above the sky, he will encounter many of the bored residents of paradise as he wrestles with the celestial bureaucracy, wrangles with angelic officials and whines about the existential squalor of eternity with a workaholic former Pope.
Come and witness what two writers with one RS GCSE between them will produce if they talk about Heaven for long enough: the Kafkaesque Romcom that left Alex Horne "feeling peculiar about whether I will ultimately want to get into the Pearly Gates." Highly commended for the Footlights Harry Porter Prize, we invite you into the afterlife. Take a seat, there’s a queue.
- October 2019
You’ve heard of Mel and Sue, Fry and Laurie, Mitchell and Webb. You know Danny and Sandy, Elphaba and Glinda, the Sherman brothers. But what happens when the world of comedy collides with all things musical theatre?
It’s time to send in the clowns. Come down to the ADC for one night only to see what happens when Cambridge’s finest comedians team up with the best musical performers to create a unique, feel-good, hilarious evening of laughter and song, hosted by Cambridge Footlights Harriet Fisher and Will Owen.
In this show, anything goes! But one thing’s for certain: you’ll want to be in the room where it happens...
- October 2019
“You need a name that expresses a Christian faith - Mary- mother of Jesus - is the most blessed name - but I just named another girl that this afternoon, ahh, there is Ruth - but I hate names of monosyllables so - ESTER! Yes, that is it, that is your name. Ester, she was a woman of great, great courage, saved her people in fact, second only to the Virgin Mary in Holy women in my opinion. And you look like one - indeed you do, you do.”
It’s 1896 in Rhodesia and Jekesai has just been given her new, Catholic name. Chilford, the only black Roman Catholic teacher in the region, has decided she’ll now be known as Ester, wear European clothing and speak only in English. She’s torn away from everything that she knows by her fellow African who earnestly believes the promises of the White man.
- August 2019
Grab your bag-for-life, stick your pound-shaped keyrings into the trolley, and step inside The Supermarket™© for a freshly-baked musical treat.
Take a walk around [caution: wet floors ahead] and say hello to twice-divorced Vicki from checkout 6, thrice-divorced Nicki from checkout 7, and not forgetting the mysterious Karen, who lurks in the pet supply aisle, eating all the cat food. Every day in The Supermarket™© is harmoniously humdrum, until an unexpected crisis ripples turbulently across the shop floor. Can the employees save their beloved store? Who will come out on top? Does Karen even work here? The stakes are high, and the steaks are highly priced.
‘Unexpected item in the Bagging Area’ is an original comedy-musical from Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society (SiX, Hot Gay Time Machine) by Laurence T-Stannard and Cambridge Footlights Jamie Bisping and Amaya Holman. Get ready for an absurd hour of hilarious songs, heart-warming characters and some taste-the-difference hummus that is dangerously close to its expiry date.
Expect chuckles. Expect brioche. Expect the unexpected (item in the bagging area).
- October 2019
The Cambridge Footlights bring you an hour of brilliant comedy, ranging from sketch, to stand-up, comedy song, monologues, or maybe dance. Whatever the style, it's always 'uproariously funny' (Varsity).
- October 2019
What is there beyond hope?
In the sitting room of a dishevelled flat in post-war London, Hester Collyer is found by her neighbours in the aftermath of a failed suicide attempt. Slowly, the story of her tempestuous affair with an alcoholic RAF pilot and the breakdown of her marriage to a High Court judge begins to unravel. With it comes a portrait of a woman steeped in need, loneliness, and a long-repressed passion.
Terence Rattigan’s masterpiece and one of the greatest tragedies of the twentieth century, The Deep Blue Sea offers a close and unflinching look at the fragile veneer of social repression and the brutal sense of loss and longing that lingers just beneath.
- September 2019
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR ANTIPHOLUS (and Dromio)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU !!!
We are delighted to invite you to Antipholus’ birthday bash! Join us on this very special day for some party-popping, disco-bopping, candle-blowing, fancy-dressing fun — the banners are up, the mini sausage-rolls are out the oven, and the fabulous birthday boy (and Dromio) has arrived; there is only one thing left to do… get this PARTY STARTED!
After being separated as infants, two sets of identical twins, with identical names, finally find themselves in the same place at the same time. Following years of travelling the world in search of their missing halves, Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant Dromio arrive in Ephesus (unbeknownst to them, the home of their long-lost siblings). However, standing in the way of their reunion is a chaotic series of mistaken identities, confusion, and a fair amount of cake.
Stick on a party hat and come celebrate Shakespeare’s most farcical comedy; reimagined as the world’s most anarchic birthday-do, this Comedy of Errors has us questioning who is who? What is going on? How many blooming layers of paper is there left to unwrap? And, really, how many errors can possibly be made in one day!?**
**SPOILER: many, many errors.
- September 2019
- September 2019
Join us for a celebration of amateur drama!
- July 2019
It’s 2003 and oil consultant Ryan Ellis has been posted from the UK to a remote area of the Balkans. Although based miles from the civil unrest (following the collapse of the Yugoslav Federation), Ryan is taking no chances. He protects his home with sophisticated security gates and alarms, and when his wife Lidia comes out for a short visit, he hires Masluch, a local bodyguard, to look after her.
But a few days into her visit, Ryan begins to doubt if the charming Masluch is all that he claims to be. He has concerns over the relationship between Lidia and Masluch. And in a region torn apart with ethnic cleansing and frequent kidnappings, perhaps Ryan has ever reason to be worried?
Guarded is one of six original one-act plays that make up the WRiTEON Festival, a celebration of new writing across all three ADC venues: the ADC Auditorium, the Corpus Playroom, and the Larkum Studio. This unique collection spans genres, themes and styles. Dip in or complete the set for the full experience.
- July 2019
Home and family is something we all desire. The Summerhouse explores the need for belonging, brotherhood and love, with compassion and wit. Rose’s house was the best home Alan and Kurt ever knew, and years later they are reunited at their foster mother’s funeral, in the garden where they played cricket and fantasised as kids. In order to keep their precious home they have to do things they regret, challenging their brotherhood. Now that they are adults this drama exposes their complex memories and how far they will go to preserve their version of the past.
The young never appreciate the consequences of their actions, but whatever happened in the summerhouse, Alan and Kurt have to face the truth. Do all our misdeeds stay with us for ever, or can we put them in order to find peace?
The Summerhouse is one of six original one-act plays that make up the WRiTEON Festival, a celebration of new writing across all three ADC venues: the ADC Auditorium, the Corpus Playroom, and the Larkum Studio. This unique collection spans genres, themes and styles. Dip in or complete the set for the full experience.
- July 2019
A private hotel in 1954 Bournemouth where shock and social disgrace are cleverly interwoven with the decay, furtiveness and fraying of established manners.
- July 2019
With a principal cast of four playing a minimum of 139 roles, The 39 Steps will be the most astonishing theatrical experience for everyone.
- June 2019
BAMEBRIDGE is a brand new production celebrating the rollercoaster lives of the BAME community within Cambridge. This carefully curated variety show will feature stories told through spoken word, poetry, music, dance, visual arts and theatre.
Be prepared for an unforgettable night never before seen in Cambridge as we celebrate our identities and tell the stories we want to tell.
- June 2019
Each night, 6 comedians will be pitted against each other to perform a series of obscure and meaningless challenges as ranked by our host, the Master of Tasks.
- June 2019
Can’t get enough of swamp creatures and space aliens? Vampire children and crazy conspiracy theorists? Want to see how we’d battle killer household appliances or have a secret fear of fish? Watch us bring to life a new cult classic sci fi horror movie before your very eyes!
The Cambridge Impronauts present Attack of the 50ft Improvisers! A thrilling improvised B-movie based entirely on your suggestions! Against all odds, our unlikely heroes will battle against otherworldly foes based entirely off audience suggestions. Buckle in for crazy characters, terrifying plot twists and horrendously dramatic death scenes. These movies will be shown for one night and for one night only…come along if you dare
- June 2019
Welcome to the Earth exhibit. No touching. No flash photography.
Join five real-life human beings as they take you on a whirlwind tour of their bizarre little planet, seen from the outside for the very first time! Forget everything you think you know and learn it all again in this spectacular, sketch-shaped trip through the kinks and quirks of life on Earth.
‘The most renowned sketch troupe of them all’ (The Independent) embark on another exceptional world tour, performing to over twenty thousand people across two continents. This year’s tour travels to London, Edinburgh, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Cambridge, and many more. Don’t miss your chance to see the latest on offer from the group that launched many of the greatest names in British comedy, including Stephen Fry, Emma Thompson, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman, John Oliver, David Mitchell, Robert Webb, Richard Ayoade, Mel Giedroyc, Sue Perkins and John Cleese.
- May–June 2019
- May 2019
Half of young people in British prisons are BME (Black/Minority Ethnic). Political commentators say this is a gross indictment of our broken society; we think it’s a model of ethnic diversity the Cambridge Footlights should aspire to: #MakeFootlightsAPrison.
FootDarks are three of said comedy troupe’s finest stand-ups, and they’re all BME (we prefer “alt-white”). Find out why Danny Baalbaki believes white parents prefer dogs over their kids, how Patrick Sylla started a fight at the Tate Modern (and still got a better review than Jeff Koons) and how autocorrect got Hasan Al-Habib banned from a funeral (again).
These three Cambridge Footlights have finely crafted this stand-up show that is sure to leave you in stitches of laughter, unless of course you’re some kind of racist or one of Hasan’s parents
- May 2019
Bounce is a freshers’ sketch show with a core cast of 5 comedians, plus 9 cameos, who've worked together to devise an hour of monologues, character bit, shorts and sketches. Fun!
It's set in a DANCE STUDIO, so expect aerobics, tap, interpretive dance, dance therapy, children's birthday parties and MUCH MORE.
So get ready.
Step in time.
Get stretching and limber up!
Bounce.
- May 2019
Set in 1880s New York, well-respected gentleman and scientist Dr Givings has just started using his new medical tool, the vibrator, to treat ‘hysterical’ women (and some men!) in his operating theatre. Next door in the living room, his wife wonders what on earth is going on in the next room, while trying to care for their new-born baby. When Mr and Mrs Daldry arrive, bringing their wetnurse with them, Dr and Mrs Givings are forced to examine their own marriage, and what it means to be truly intimate.
Based on true historical fact, this play is a comedy about intimacy, marriage, and the vibrator.
- May 2019
When Ali begins her new job at Magic's Supermarket, something seems a little odd. One journey into the walk-in fridge later and she finds herself in a strangely new world – full of consumerist creatures, conniving councils and clandestine conspiracies which shake her very perceptions of reality. Who lies behind the shop’s shelves? And what secrets are the self-checkouts hiding? By the end, there’ll be anarchy in the aisles and bedlam in the biscuit section.
Selected by Alex Horne as the winner of the Footlights’ Harry Porter Prize 2019, Market Magic promises to take customer service where no comedy has before.
- May 2019
What's it like to have 15 minutes of fame in the largest country on earth? The debut stand-up hour from British comedian and former Cambridge Footlight, Milo Edwards, tells the story of how he became a Russian TV star, had a gun pointed at him, and discovered that the way home is sometimes hardest to find.
Pindos is a show about celebrity, language, show-business, and sending dogs into space for the good of communism.
'Fantastic...had me in hysterics' (The Cambridge Student)
'Effortlessly funny' (The Tab)
- May 2019
"I picked up your shirts today - I don't know why. I think about you every minute. It's like I can still feel you."
Ghost: The Musical is a story about the timelessness of love, based on the (1990) hit film starring Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. Sam and Molly are out late one night, when they are approached by a mugger. A struggle breaks out leaving Sam shot dead on the street. Sam is then trapped as a ghost between this world and the next, unable to leave Molly who is left in grave danger. With the help of a phony psychic Oda Mae Brown, Sam tries to communicate with Molly in order to protect her.
Featuring smash hits such as With You and the Righteous Brother’s classic Unchained Melody, Ghost: The Musical asks you to question the power of love after death.
Book & Lyrics by Bruce Joel Rubin. Music & Lyrics by Dave Stewart & Glen Ballard. Based on the Paramount Pictures film written by Bruce Joel Rubin. Original West End Production Produced by Colin Ingram, David Garfinkle, Adam Silberman, Land Line Productions, Donovan Mannato, Michael Edwards / Carole Winter. "Unchained Melody" written by Hy Zaret and Alex North, courtesy of Unchained Melody Publishing LLC. Orchestrations by David Abbinanti. Ghost: The Musical is presented through special arrangement with and all authorised performance materials are supplied by Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW), 122-124 Regent Street, 5th Floor, London W1B 5SA. www.theatricalrights.co.uk
- May 2019
This is a show about Man and men. Because we all have to pull together now.
We want to talk about masculinity and patriarchy but the words that exist aren’t good enough. So there’s music and dance too.
In this Fringe First winning show about gender and language two women play two women playing two men.
- May 2019
The Footlights bring you the funniest songs, sketches, monologues and stand-up in an hour of non-stop, back-to-back fun-filled hilarity. The material is always original and always varied. It can be soft and silly, rude and spiky, wordy and nerdy or a little surreal; whatever the style, it's always 'uproariously funny' (Varsity).
- May 2019
“Since the disaster we’ve all kind of… forgotten about ourselves. You know, the way we look? And some of us thought it would be a nice idea to have someone like you to come along and give us a talk on beauty tips - a demonstration - that’s all.”
Set eight months after the Aberfan Disaster, 'The Revlon Girl' tells the true story of a group of bereaved mothers who met every week above a local hotel to talk, cry and laugh without feeling guilty.
Feeling like they’ve let themselves go, and fearing that other people might think them frivolous, they secretly arrange for a Revlon representative to give a talk on beauty tips.
After an acclaimed, ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑-reviewed run at Brickhouse Theatre, the original team brings this delicate and profound story of loss, compassion, and carrying on to the ADC stage.
⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑
https://thetab.com/uk/cambridge/2019/05/08/review-the-revlon-girl-124340
⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑
https://www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/review-revlon-girl/
⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑
https://www.varsity.co.uk/theatre/17492
- May 2019
Kia’s got three weeks of first year left. She’s pretty clued up on everything apart from on one subject: sex and how to get it.
And so, she sets herself a mission - she’s got to lose her virginity while she’s still a fresher. Kia, on the pursuit of sex, enlists her best friend Sam to chart her failed sexual conquests, part due to her tremendous social awkwardness, and part due to her terrible sexual partners. Along the way, Kia must confront her relationship with (and dick pics of) her ex, test out dildos, swipe right, and find out the ‘silly’ sex questions that most people just google.
Inspired by (several people's) true stories, MAGNUM is a multimedia sex comedy about teenagers who end up in weird and wonderful situations, and the unbreakable power of the female friendship.
- April 2019
Laugh 4 Change is excited to have Ahir Shah headline our first showcase at the ADC Theatre.
The show will be hosted by the incredible Arielle Souma and will feature 5 student acts including
Patrick Sylla, Danny Baalbaki, Hasan Al-Habib, Matt Malone & Cansu Karabiyik
AHIR SHAH
Ahir Shah is a stand-up comedian whose sharp, intelligent brand of humour features a blend of philosophical inquiry, political vigour, and sweet gags. Ahir's current show, DUFFER, debuted at the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it enjoyed a critically acclaimed sell-out run and earned Shah his second nomination in a row for Best Show at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards. DUFFER is a stand-up show about death and what comes before, life and what comes after, and Bohemian Rhapsody. It is currently on tour around the UK.
"Intricately crafted, profoundly moving, howlingly funny ... a blazing talent firing on all cylinders" ★★★★★ Daily Telegraph
"An outstanding show: politically necessary, personally eviscerating, and heavy on the laughs"
★★★★½ Chortle
"Astonishing ... by turns furiously nihilistic and desperately warm and loving"
Observer
★★★★ Sunday Times ★★★★★ The List ★★★★ Mail on Sunday
Nominated for Best Show, Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2018
ARIELLE SOUMA
Arielle is a force to reckon with and a dynamic "wild card" in a line up. She regularly performs for major clubs like The Stand, Glee Club, Top secret and Angel comedy club.
2017 NATYS finalist
2016 Frog & Bucket Manchester World Series finalist
2016 So You Think You're Funny finalist
2016 Fresh comedian of the year finalist
2016 Leicester Square new comedian of the year semi finalist
2016 Funny Women semi finalist
"Arielle Souma is just what the comedy industry needs and should be forced upon every audience until they buckle under her spell" Frankie Boyle
All proceeds of the night will go to providing relief aid for refugees in Greece.
- April–May 2019
‘Miracles are all right, Polly. The only difficulty about them is that they don’t happen nowadays.’
George Bernard Shaw’s ‘Saint Joan’ is an involving, thought-provoking journey to the very boundaries of faith and self-preservation. Joan of Arc is determined to fulfil the wishes of the voices in her head and lead France to victory against the English in the Hundred Years’ War. Her passion propels her to the elite circles of bishops and kings, but her naivety leads her to overestimate her allies and underestimate the determination of those whose way of life she threatens. It is a multi-faceted tale of dogmatism and trust that will lead you to critically assess the time we live in.
The Cambridge Student 5 stars
The Tab 4 stars
Varsity 3.5 stars
- April 2019
