Joseph Morpurgo presents his masterpiece: a boundary-smashing, 9-hour adaption of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Or is it?
In the early 19th century, an ambitious young Genevan scientist is attempting the impossible – to build a living, breathing creature from scratch. His ‘masterpiece’, however, turns out to be an abomination: a hideous, murderous monster, who torments – and eventually destroys – his creator.
Outlandishly funny multimedia comedy and new voodoo from the distinguished mind of the 2015 Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee, three-time 2016 Chortle Award winner and BBC Radio Four star Joseph Morpurgo, featuring surreal set-pieces, vivid comic writing, subliminal pulse signals – and monsters. Following sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Soho Theatre, Hammerhead now embarks on a nationwide tour that also includes a special one-off performance at the South Bank Centre on 5th July.
Morpurgo’s previous shows are Time Out’s Number 1 show of 2015, Soothing Sounds For Baby (2015), in which he inserted himself into an episode of Desert Island Discs; Odessa (2014), in which a found VHS is used as the jump-off for a comic murder mystery; and Truthmouth (2013) – a one-man sketch show based around plundered stock images.
His debut BBC Radio 4 show, Joseph Morpurgo’s Walking Tour, aired in November and his other broadcast credits include Harry & Paul’s Story of the 2s (BBC Two), Murder in Successville (BBC3), The World of Simon Rich (BBC Radio 4) and Drunk History (Comedy Central). He has also written and performed in shorts for BBC Three and Sky Arts.
Morpurgo is also a member of the award-winning improvised ensemble Austentatious (★★★★★ The Times), whose recent achievements include a BBC Radio 4 commission and an extensive UK tour. As an improviser, he has also guest performed with The Comedy Store Players and Improbable.
More info on tickets here
Tour Dates:
2nd – 6th January 2018 Soho Theatre, London
12th – 17th March 2018 (not 15th March) Soho Theatre, London
3rd May 2018 The Junction, Cambridge
12th May 2018 The North Wall, Oxford
24th May 2018 The Bread Shed, Manchester
25th May 2018 The Marlowe Studio, Canterbury
26th May 2018 Wells Comedy Festival
28th May 2018 The Old Market, Brighton
8th June 2018 South Street Arts Centre, Reading
5th July 2018 Southbank Centre, London
