Tom Glover’s Wet Bread will be playing at the King’s Head Theatre as part of their Festival 47 in July.
Inspired by the aftermath of the 2015 General Election, the show follows Adele who can’t work out how the Tories are in power – everyone she knows voted Labour. The shocking aftermath of the election inspires her next mission: to change the world for the better in a year.
We chatted to writer Tom Glover about the show.
Wet Bread is coming to The Kings Head Theatre, Festival 47, tell us about the show?
Wet Bread is a one-woman show which explores the attitudes and flaws of a left-wing extremist. The lead character, Adele, is constantly protesting, campaigning and boycotting – she’s messianic in her political views but inadvertently rude and uncaring at the same time. Adele is very strident in her views and knows she’s right and everyone who disagrees with her is just plain wrong or fascist. When her friend challenges her to prove her protesting makes a difference Adele heads off on her social crusade trying to save a beaten wife, a homeless man, the planet and some rare newts.
It was written after the 2015 General Election but feels even more relevant after this most recent election! Did you ever see that coming?
As we began working on it Corbyn had just won the leadership in defiance of his MPs so I was sure there were interesting times ahead. I was convinced that the wheels would have come off Corbyn’s idealism by now, but the fact he did so well at the election means this play feels very current – it really explores the concepts of idealism and pragmatism – the essential tension within the left at the moment. With more young people engaged in politics, then Brexit and Trump – there couldn’t be a better time to critically question whether a great campaigner really would make a great politician.
Has the show changed much since you performed it at Brighton Fringe?
We had great feedback from Brighton, so we’re a little wary of tinkering with something that is working. However, the show relies on reflecting some of the politics of the time, so we’ll have a look a couple of weeks before we hit the King’s Head and see what’s happened which might get updated. Politics is so fast-moving at the moment it’s great to have a vehicle like Wet Bread which can reflect that.
What’s the difference between performing somewhere like Brighton Fringe and at London Fringe Theatre Festival?
Brighton Fringe is a frenetic atmosphere, with a rush of shows and a real battle for audiences. The London Fringe Theatre Festival feels slightly more curated, which gives the show a little more status and focus. Brighton is largely made up of people like the main character, which felt slightly risky, whereas London has perhaps a more diverse set of left-wingers from the Islington champagne socialists to the East London Hipster boys. It will be interesting to see how audiences in London view the play in comparison to Brighton.
If you could change the world in a year, what would you do?
Homelessness is the thing that makes me most cross – I’m always infuriated by the fact that one of the richest countries in the world appears to be unable to house all its citizens. More radically I’d abolish inheritance – we come into the world with nothing, we should leave with nothing; each person at 25 should get a lump sum and everything else is earned – that would stop people being destined to continual privilege or poverty due to their ancestors’ efforts. Three day weekends. And make it illegal to wear trackie bottoms in a public place. What’s not to love?
