The exciting world premiere of The Journey, written and directed by critically acclaimed standup comedian Stuart Laws comes to Pleasance this summer. Co-directed by Phoebe Ladenburg (The Superhero, The Lyric Hammersmith; Brother Don’t Preach, Theatre503) and starring Will Brown (Unforgotten, ITV; Call The Midwife, BBC; Doctor Who, BBC) and Phoebe Sparrow (Downton Abbey, BBC; The Dresser, The Duke of York Theatre; Inside No.9, BBC), The Journey is a romantic comedy about a breakup, set on a spaceship.
A play about self-obsession and toxic relationships, The Journey is a funny, relatable and surprising comedy following two people on the unstoppable journey of their relationship. In his theatrical debut, Laws explores a concept which many people can identify with – breaking up on holiday where you are forced to continue to share space and there’s no escape. Imagine how much this is escalated if you’re trapped on a spaceship! Although the spaceship breakup is obviously anything but autobiographical, the story exposes Laws’ private and evolving preoccupation with communication between loved ones.
Stuart Laws comments, “Taking a fantastical idea and forcing it to interact with the everyday is what inspired me. I also wanted to create a narrative which begins as a recognisable romantic comedy, but becomes something quite different. Without giving too much away, the play develops in a, hopefully, unexpected direction which lends new perspective to what comes before.”
Laws has written several stand-up and sketch shows, but The Journey is his first piece of theatre. He has directed a multitude of successful online comedy sketches and series for his production company, Turtle Canyon Comedy, as well as producing his own Radio 4 show and James Acaster’s Netflix series. Laws is renowned in the industry for his unique voice and ambition.
The Journey by Stuart Laws is at Pleasance Dome (Ten).
