The tone for the show is set by an officious transit employee in the lobby before the journey begins, and the odd scattered newspaper on the theatre seats prepares us for the familiar commuter ordeal. Cockfosters is a series of very funny skits tied together by a slim narrative about an awkward, gaffe-prone boy who meets a girl with "trains in her veins" on their shared journey from Heathrow to the aforementioned terminus of the Piccadilly line. Along the way they encounter all the usual denizens of the Underground from beggars to buskers, plus her ex-boyfriend and his obnoxious school chum. And of course, there's the rowdy football fans, the lost tourists and the drunken hen party. We are also treated to a rather thorough history of the Tube, a spoof of its inane advertising, and an audience-participation trivia game about London's famous transportation system. Compensating for the disjointedness of this whole mishmash and the corniness of some of the jokes is the rapid-fire delivery of all the zaniness, and the obvious fun the cast is having as they romp through the various sketches. As the young couple Tori and James, Beth Lilly and Sam Rees-Baylis are suitably nonplussed by the wackiness that surrounds them, and as the wide variety of weirdos whom they encounter Ed Bowles, Harry Bradley, Kit Loyd, Natasha Vasandani and Amy Bianchi are all marvellously manic. Almost every cliché of travelling on the Tube is covered, and this is an hour-long journey that provides lots of laughs. It should also give you the odd smile when you recall it the next time you're crammed on the train.
Rated: ★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Marshall Stay
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