Charley's Aunt

'Hold on to your neck ties, boys. Charley's aunt is here!'

Scheming students Charley and Jack must somehow navigate the curmudgeonly Spettigue in order to declare their feelings to love interests Amy and Kitty. The promised arrival of Charley's immensely rich aunt gives them their opportunity – but the course of true love never did run straight or smooth...

Mistaken identities, false identities, the discovery of true identities: will love – old and new – triumph through it all?

Brandon Thomas's celebrated farce Charley's Aunt, fantastically successful when first performed in 1892, is brought bang up to date in Rob Madge's riotous and glamorous adaptation. It opened at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, in 2025, directed by Sophie Drake.



Rob Madge is an actor and playwright whose debut play, My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) was a huge hit, transferring from the Turbine Theatre to the West End, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, on tour of the UK and to New York. It won Best Off-West End Production at the 2022 WhatsOnStage Awards, the Theatre Award at the 2023 Virgin Atlantic Attitude Awards and Best Creative West End Debut at The Stage Debut Awards.



'The frump turns fabulous... [Brandon Thomas's] redoubtable Victorian farce [has been] renovated with affectionate cheek by Rob Madge... it's a scrappy but very fun take on the tale of dowager dress-up and scheming lovebirds... Madge often doesn't so much adapt as heckle the original, cheerfully scattering quips, filth and people getting the ick... fresh, smart and racy'



'Irresistible... what a joyous makeover it is!... glorious'



'Pitch-perfect... an update as astute as it is affectionate... bursting with energy and endless reinvention... Madge's firecracker comic styling... beautifully calibrated... it's not just funny, it's also terribly affecting'



'A clever and relevant adaptation... As important and timely as it is charming and funny, it's a perfect example of what breathing new life into much-loved classics can achieve'



'A pacey, joyful reinvention... with wit, warmth and a contemporary sensibility that feels both bold and necessary (and fun)... what elevates this beyond mere entertainment is how Madge's adaptation makes Victorian social constraints speak to contemporary debates about identity, freedom and acceptance... proves this Victorian farce has never been more relevant... pure joy'



'Everything you could want from an updated classic with a twist'



'A joyous new adaptation... manages to recycle and repurpose a brilliant farce, bring it bang up to date and make it as relevant to our society as it was to the Victorians... an absolute hoot'



'Brilliantly adapted, modern and funny – a great evening!'



'Hilarious... a sheer joy to watch... wonderful... not to be missed'



'A superb modern twist on the original... works brilliantly'