2023

Mates in Chelsea

Written by Rory Mullarkey

Play Details

Context

Artistic Director
Vicky Featherstone

Dates Performed

Friday 3rd November 2023
Jerwood Theatre Downstairs

Form

Ensemble piece Farce Original full length in English Over 8 cast

Play Details

Synopsis

Tug Bungay’s lavish Chelsea flat and the ancient, picturesque Dimley Grange castle in Northumberland

Tug Bungay swaggers into his opulent Chelsea flat, his nonchalance clashing with the eccentric activities of his housekeeper, Mrs Hanratty, who sharpens a cake slice while humming the Soviet national anthem. In Rory Mullarkey’s “Mates in Chelsea,” we are thrown into a farcical romp that gleefully lampoons the British aristocracy. Tug’s life is a whirlwind of absurdity, marked by outlandish characters like his mother, Lady Agrippina Bungay, and his adventurous friend, Charlie Thrupp, who arrives dressed as an Afghan tribesman.

Set against the backdrop of contemporary London and a crumbling Northumberland castle, the narrative spirals into chaos when Tug’s mother decides to sell their ancestral home to a Russian oligarch, Oleg Mikhailovich Govorov. Tug, desperate to save his beloved castle, concocts a hare-brained scheme involving Charlie impersonating the oligarch. The ensuing madness features mistaken identities, elaborate disguises, and a cacophony of comedic mishaps that reveal the ludicrous nature of wealth and privilege.