Brilliant Jerks | The Latest Show To Hit Southwark Playhouse
Uber.
There, we said it.
That’s what Brilliant Jerks is about.
Because this play – taking stage at the Southwark Playhouse throughout March – takes pains to artfully skirt around any mention of its inspiration by name, instead referring to the idea (“Tap a button. Get a ride.”) and the notion that it’s based on the creation of “a multi-billion-dollar app, which you might even use to get home afterwards…”.
So yeah, it’s Uber.
And frankly, when Joseph Charlton first put the play on at the Vault Festival in 2018, he probably couldn’t afford a ride home himself – he had to crowdfund the show for a barrel-scraping two grand, making sets, hiring technicians, and getting just three actors to take both the trio of main roles and all of the many supporting parts too. What came out was, well, brilliant. The Independent, The Standard, and The Stage all gave it a heap of praise, and it’s been further refined since then.
The basic story? It centres around the toxic boss Tyler, the quiet coder Sean, and the scrappy cab driver Mia (all three tiers of income you’ll find in the world of tech) as we hop around the globe watching the capricious whims of greed & fate play out. And somehow, throughout the entire thing, the characters manage to never once mention the name of the company that they all work for.
Must have been uber-difficult.
NOTE: Brilliant Jerks is playing at the Southwark Playhouse from 1st – 25th March 2023. You can find out more, and get tickets (£24, £19 Conc, £16 Previews) at the website right here.
Brilliant Jerks | 77-85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD
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