Earnest...? UK Tour

After the actor playing Ernest fails to arrive on cue, chaos erupts and the theatre company needs YOU to jump in and save the show. This HILARIOUS experience is different every night and will be coming soon to theatres near you!

📷 Mark Senior

If you’re a fan of Mischief Theatre’s chaos-fueled comedy style, then buckle up — this is 100% your kind of show. It's a classic “play that goes wrong” setup, packed with irony, perfectly timed disasters, and a level of onstage mayhem that’ll leave your face aching from laughing. Bonus points for some delightful crowd work that actually feels fun rather than forced — a rare feat!

The set is bright, playful, and cleverly upgraded. The tweaks make it more detailed and better suited for touring, which was a smart move. The improvements genuinely enhance the visual experience. It’s fun, functional, and still feels delightfully over-the-top — exactly what this kind of show needs.

Costumes remain largely unchanged, which is a win. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — and these costumes are as gorgeous as ever. The only tweak I noticed was with Lady Bracknell, but even that fit seamlessly.

📷 Mark Senior

Lighting and sound design? Spot on. Not only were the earlier sound issues completely sorted out, but the technical elements now elevate each moment without stealing focus. It's all balanced, polished, and surprisingly slick for a show built on comedic chaos.

Now, onto the big change: the runtime. What used to be a tight 1-hour romp has now ballooned to a 2-hour 15-minute extravaganza (with one new scene and more room to stretch out the others). But here’s the kicker — it works. The pacing never drags, and the added time gives the performers more space to explore gags, build momentum, and even break the fourth wall more often. We get to see more than just the “Director” interact with the audience, which adds a fresh layer of hilarity. That said, I assume they’ll be trimming things back to the 1-hour version for the Fringe run, and it'll be interesting to see how that shift plays out.

As for the cast — stars, every one of them. Josh Haberfield nails the role of Simon, the hapless Director who wants nothing to do with fixing problems… until he absolutely has to. His improvisation and crowd work were genuinely delightful. Rhys Tees, meanwhile, is a comedic powerhouse who steals the spotlight every time he appears — his physical comedy alone deserves its own curtain call. Trynity Silk also stands out with brilliant timing and infectious energy, especially during her drunken antics (a true highlight).

📷 Mark Senior

Now, for a tiny bit of criticism: there’s a character (who shall remain nameless to avoid spoilers) who appears in the last five minutes as the villain. Unfortunately, it adds nothing meaningful to the plot and feels like a tacked-on twist. It could easily be cut without losing a thing. Also, the initial pause at the start stretched just a little too long — it went from amusingly awkward to... just awkward. Honestly, these are minor nitpicks in what is otherwise a gloriously entertaining show.

It's genuinely lovely to see a fringe-style production not just surviving but thriving. Shows like this — packed with ingenuity, energy, and good old-fashioned silliness — deserve all the love they're getting. This production proves that no matter your age or theatre preferences, there’s something here for everyone to enjoy. This needs to be on the West End now!

They’ve only got a few more dates left before they storm the Edinburgh Fringe again, so don’t miss your chance to see them in action! Check out where they’re headed next: https://sayitagainsorry.com/index.html