Nicholas Burns, best known as the title character in the Chris Morris and Charlie Brooker sitcom Nathan Barley, has been announced as the lead in The Gift at Park Theatre in January 2025.
Nicholas is also known for the long-running ITV comedy series Benidorm, the BBC sketch show Man Stroke Woman, and the most recent series of Black Mirror. He is joined by Laura Haddock, known for her roles as Myrna Dalgleish in the film Downton Abbey: A New Era, Meredith Quill in the MARVEL film series Guardians of the Galaxy and Alison in The Inbetweeners Movie. Completing the cast is Alex Price, who plays series regular Sid Carter in Father Brown – consistently one of the BBC’s most successful international exports for over a decade – and originated the role of Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child both in the West End and on Broadway.
Nicholas plays Colin, who opens an unexpected mystery package, a cake box from his favourite patisserie, to find that what’s inside is very much not a cake. With Colin battling all-new levels of existential angst it isn’t long before he is trawling through his entire life – turning everything over – convinced that he can channel Poirot and unmask the offending sender. But as his sister Lisa (Laura Haddock) and her husband Brian (Alex Price) desperately scramble to save him from heading down this particularly murky rabbit-hole Colin’s appetite for vigilante justice shows no signs of abating – and his list of possible suspects has gotten way out of control.
The Gift is an irreverent comedy asking what can you do when someone seriously tries to upset your applecart? Should you see the funny side and let it go, or smoke out the perpetrator and make them pay? Written by Dave Florez (Fringe First winner for Somewhere Beneath), it’s directed by Adam Meggido (Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Magic Goes Wrong, co-creator of Showstopper! The Improvised Musical) and produced by PostScript Productions in association with Park Theatre.
Director Adam Meggido said, “After the scale and dynamic physical comedy of Mischief’s amazing shows, bringing comedy back to an intimate space with a stellar cast – who earned their stripes in comedies such as Inbetweeners and Nathan Barley – feels like the perfect start to 2025 for me.”
Dave Florez is a playwright and screenwriter, writing both comedy and drama. His Hampstead Theatre play Experience was runner-up in the Nick Darke Award; Dave then adapted it into the feature film Embers, which was part of a BFI London Film Festival showcase, before being nominated for Best UK Feature at Raindance Film Festival. Dave has had several plays at the Edinburgh Festival, including Somewhere Beneath, winner of a Fringe First Award. His short plays have been produced at Royal Court, Soho Theatre, and the Criterion, and his plays are published by Bloomsbury. Dave is a BAFTA Connect Member, a BBC Voices alumnus, and his comedy Shock Jock aired on Radio 4. His TV sitcom and drama pilots have been optioned by Hat Trick, LA Productions and Doorway Films; and he has developed projects with Red Productions, Rollem and Tiger Aspect. His feature thriller Sins in the Family premiered on Lifetime/Paramount+.
Adam Meggido is known for directing Olivier-nominated Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Broadway, UK Tour and internationally) and Magic Goes Wrong (UK Tour, West End) and as the co-creator and artistic director of Olivier Award-winning Showstoppers! The Improvised Musical, which has played in 12 countries. His current production of Peter Pan Goes Wrong on Broadway has been nominated for three Drama Desk Awards, including Outstanding Direction of a Play.
