Night Mail (WIP)

COMEDY


Night Mail (WIP)

The Caroline of Brunswick

39 Ditchling Road
Upper Lounge: MAY 7 at 21:30 (60 min) - PAID

Night Mail (WIP)

In the sorting room of a remote post office, a naughty 1940s postman passes time with pranks, letters and telegrams from the future, while waiting for news of the war.

It's a fast-talking, absurdist, character comedy with elements of clowning, and packed with jokes, both sensical and non. Tim Whitson of the GPO (like his favourite singer: "G'Peter Ondre") plays games and pranks with the audience to pass the time, while checking his wireless for news of his sister's RAF squadron caught behind enemy lines. Alas, instead, it's a broadcast of The Pirates of Penzance - and not even one with a conductor he respects.

Ultimately, the show is a commentary on the way in which we consume information in the modern era - either anxiety-inducing, distressing news from mainstream sources (Tim's wireless), or bizarre stream-of-consciousness absurdity, teeming out of social media (the telegram machine). How we cope - through jokes, through drugs, through despair - is up to us, and the show aims to explore the isolation of these methods of coping with a burning world which we feel powerless to fix.

And if that sounds nihilistic, please remember the jokes.

Ticket types this year are Paid, Pay What You Want and Free - this is how it works: Paid: The show is fully ticketed and you pay in advance or on the door; Pay What You Want: You can choose to buy a ticket in advanced to guarantee entry and what to pay over a minimum amount OR turn up at the venue to get in for free in any space that is left; Free: The show is free entry and can be ticketed or unticketed. Watch the show, and the performer will ask for donations at the end for those that would like to contribute.