Seven Dials Playhouse London Announces February Fringe Favorites

Following critical acclaim and sell-out performances at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Seven Dials Playhouse is set to showcase two riotously funny sell-out character comedy showsThe Screen Test (11th – 15th February) andGang Bang(18th Feb – 1st March), this February. Both of these hilarious and heartfelt productions highlight the incredible work that Seven Dials Playhouse platform by bringing vibrant and bold new work to the West End.

Returning to Seven Dials PlayhouseBebe Cave (Industry, BBC;Daddy Issues,Seven Dials Playhouse) will kick off 2025 withThe Screen Test (11th – 15th February), a dark comedy about delusion, desperation, and dreams that will showcase the rise and fall of Betsy Bitterly, an aspiring actress in 1930s Hollywood. 

The Screen Test will take audiences on a fast-paced rollercoaster of Hollywood satire and dark humour, as Bebe Cave returns to London will her hilarious and heartfelt writing debut. Told through a series of “screen tests” for life-changing roles, Betsy will undergo an unpredictable transformation in her unrelenting quest to become a star. This bold and brilliant production will ask audiences, what does “making it” really mean and when are we forced to let the dreams we have go.  

Performer and writer forThe Screen Test Bebe Cave comments, The Screen Test is a one-woman dark comedy about a neurotic actress in old Hollywood. I think it’s like if a 1930s screwball farce was condensed into a monologue for an hour. It’s a show for anyone who has had a dream, and the delusion that comes with it! Undoubtedly one of the best things that comes from this line of work is the fascinating people that you meet along the way. Performers are all crazy! Each one is like this incredible eco-system of their own, with unique rules and rituals and belief systems. I think it is so human to want to create something, and connect with an audience whatever that ‘thing’ or whoever the ‘audience’ may be. I wanted to explore those ideas in this character, aspiring star Betsy Bitterly, and explore the ways that wanting something, or wanting to ‘be’ something can result in hilariously tragic consequences.

Following this will be raucous mafia comedyGang Bang(18th Feb – 1st March), byHughie Shepherd-Cross (Ringer, Kings Head Theatre;Out to Lunch,Underbelly Bristo Square). Set in 1945,Gang Bang, will take audiences on a madcap journey filled with surreal gags and mafia mayhem. This surprising trip follows Don Lambrini, a Sicilian man who accidentally boards an all-inclusive Thomas Cook cruise and finds himself having to navigate the perils of Blackpool. After a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, this hilarious production is set to promise a wild, uproarious homage to the gangster film genre, packed with gags, surreal pastiches, and fresh jokes at every turn.

Founder of Tinned Laughter andGang Bang writer Hughie Shepherd-Cross comments,Gang Bang is an all-out comedy play for people who want a big laughs, with the gag rate of a comedy show, as well as the fast-paced thrilling narrative of a gangster movie. You will not find a heavy hitting message here, but you will have a riot – it’s a pallet cleanser to people needing an absurd escape.

Creative Team

Writer/Performer: Bebe Cave (she/her)
Director: Millie Foy (she/her)

Jack: Fabian Bevan (he/him)
Al Dente: Hannah Johnson (she/her)
Don Lambrini/Frey Bentos: Freddie Cohen (he/him)

Founder/Writer: Hughie Shepherd-Cross (he/him)
Director: Auguste Voulton (he/him)
Sound Designer/Composer: Finn Heathfield (they/them)
Sound Designer/Composer: Will Cox (he/him)

Tickets:  https://www.sevendialsplayhouse.co.uk/shows/gang-bang/

Featured Image: Courtesy of Seven Dials Playhouse