Understaffed, underfunded and barely holding things together, Plumstanton Library is in crisis in THE LIBRARIANS: A Very Serious Comedy!, a fast-paced new farce heading to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
From Cabbage Productions, the team behind the sell-out hit SPY MOVIE: The Play! and Charlie Hartill Award Finalists 2026, this brand-new comedy places a crumbling local library at the centre of a chaotic, laugh-out-loud state-of-the-nation satire. With a disgraced civil servant drafted in to save the failing institution, matters quickly spiral when an inspector is due to arrive and the building’s fate hangs in the balance.
As the staff scramble to identify and impress the mystery inspector, the stakes couldn’t be higher. If they fail, the library could be sold off and lost forever, taking with it a vital community space. What follows is a whirlwind of misunderstandings, desperation and theatrical chaos, as the team races against time to keep their beloved library alive.
Written by Matthew Howell and Jack Michael Stacey, who first met performing in The Play That Goes Wrong in the West End, the production blends their love of farce, politics and high-energy storytelling. The result is a sharp satire that reflects a Britain clinging to tradition while struggling under pressure, all delivered with relentless comedic pace.
Matt and Jack comment, “We think theatre comedy can and should have something to say about our lives, culture, politics, and beliefs while still being brilliantly funny. We want to hold a mirror up to the British psyche, smash it apart, and make you laugh while we do it.”
They continue, “THE LIBRARIANS: A Very Serious Comedy! is our love letter to satire, farce, and the travails of modern Britain, where institutions are underfunded yet criticised, and appearances matter more than reality. This tiny, crumbling library becomes a microcosm of a country trying to hold itself together while everything quietly falls apart.”
Described as Fawlty Towers meets The Thick of It, the show promises razor-sharp wit, frantic physical comedy and a timely exploration of the pressures facing community spaces. Beneath the laughter lies a poignant reminder of the value of libraries as places of knowledge, imagination and connection.
THE LIBRARIANS: A Very Serious Comedy! runs at Pleasance Courtyard (Pleasance Two) from 5 – 31 August (not 17, 24 August) at 15:15. Tickets are on sale here
