The Pitchfork Disney by Philip Ridley, King's Head Theatre, 115 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 until 4 October 2025, 4☆☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.

Photo Credit: Charles Flint.

The Pitchfork Disney by Philip Ridley, King's Head Theatre, 115 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 until 4 October 2025,

4☆☆☆☆. Review: William Russell.

“A superb revival.”

Suddenly it seems plays by Philip Ridley are popping up all over the place – two from the Edinburgh Festival fringe are coming soon, but first to arrive is this splendid production of his 1991 playm his first, The Pitchfork Disney claimed to have single-handedly changed the course of British drama. It is quite a claim but there is no denying that it certainly was a shocking and mind-blowing play then and still is. Director Max Harrison and a fine cast do it justice. It is an amazing cocktail of horror stories, post-apocalyptic world happenings, explicit sex, some of it gay, manipulation and violence, with a mix of tiny scenes and long speeches – and just when you think you can relax, he springs yet another unspeakably awful surprise. Twins Presley (Ned Costello) and Haley (Elizabeth Connick), twenty-eight years of age it seems, have, after the death of their parents in a dreadful accident, retreated to the family home – he goes out to shop, she stays in, and they fantasize that the world outside is a devastated wasteland. The squabble over food, he doses her with drugs, and outside a car draws up and someone has got out. He is fascinated by the unseen stranger. She has been reduced to a dummy sucking comatose figure on their sofa. He lets the stranger, Cosmo (William Robinson) in and Cosmo is even stranger and menacing, revealing himself to be wearing a sequin covered scarlet jacket and that he earns a living by eating living things like cockroaches for audiences in pubs. He also hates to be touched, is fascinated by the comatose Haley and lusted after by Presley. Outside a murderer called Pitchfork is prowling the land. He too (Matt Yulish) eventually arrives – it seems he is Cosmo's driver – but maybe now Ridley goes too far and instead of being terrifying things become risible, although he does give Pitchfork a stunning last line. In his introduction to the play text Alex Sierz, who saw the original production at the Bush directed by Dominic Dromgoole, says that it introduced a new sensibility into British theatre signalling a fresh direction eschewing realistic naturalism, political ideology and social commentary turning auditoriums into “cauldrons of sensation.” Costello's performance as Presley grows as the play proceeds into something truly tragic and lost while Robinson as the object of desire Cosmo gets nastier by the moment with great skill. This superb revival is not a night in the theatre one will forget. There are warnings for today's delicate audiences about its content – way back in 1991 people were hardier souls. It does shock, it does frighten, it does have some behaviour that is spectacularly disgusting but, in the end, it is a play, make believe so risk being outraged and go.

Cast

Ned Costello – Presley

Elizabeth Connick – Haley

William Robertson – Cosmo

Matt Yulish – Pitchfork

Creatives

Director – Max Harrison

Set & Costume Designer – Kit Hinchcliffe

Lighting Designer – Ben Jacobs

Sound Designer – Sam Glossop

Intimacy Director – Christina Fulcher