When actor and comedian Tom Johnson was handed a dusty script once nurtured by comedy legends John Otway and Paul Bradley, he didn’t quite expect to find himself reimagining a lost gem of British comedy theatre. But forty years after it was first performed in its rawest form by the late Rik Mayall, Verbal Diary has returned — sharper, stranger, and more riotous than ever.
The show’s pedigree alone is remarkable. Its original creators need little introduction: John Otway — “Rock and Roll’s Greatest Failure,” whose cult music career has made him a beloved eccentric of the British stage — and Paul Bradley, familiar to millions from EastEnders, Holby City, and The Young Ones. Mayall himself once staged the early version, injecting his trademark anarchic flair.
Now, Johnson, at just 26, has breathed new life into the project. “I’m just some bloke from Southend,” he laughs, “but Otway and Bradley trusted me to rebuild the show from the ground up.” The result is Verbal Diary, a feel-good comedy musical that blends Otway’s original songs with Johnson’s irreverent voice.
Audiences and critics have responded in kind. The show has sold out venues across the country, was listed in Chortle’s Top 10 Comedy Plays at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe, and headlined the first-ever Rik Mayall Comedy Festival, sharing the bill with Greg Davies and Peter Richardson.
The plot follows Gordon, a hapless photographer whose New Year’s resolutions — keep a diary and get the girl (his flatmate Cheryl) — unravel in spectacular fashion. What Gordon doesn’t know is that Cheryl and his other housemates have been secretly reading his diary and using it to sabotage his every move. What follows is a deliciously chaotic ride, equal parts absurd and heartfelt, as Gordon struggles to find love, purpose, and control in a world that seems intent on outwitting him.
Alongside its pedigree and slapstick charm, Verbal Diary also boasts an impressive live score: a four-piece string section, led by Nick Pynn (longtime collaborator of Stewart Lee), performing both Otway classics and brand-new songs written for the show.
The critics have been quick to praise:
- “Absurd, anarchic and unmissable” — Bath Chronicle
- “Unapologetically daft and packed with heart” — LondonTheatre1
- “Truly superb in all of its mayhem… Johnson is a force to be reckoned with” — SlapMagazine
It’s rare to find a show that manages to honour its comedy roots while carving out something genuinely fresh. But Johnson seems to have done it, channeling the chaos of Mayall, the eccentricity of Otway, and his own ragged comic energy into something that feels both nostalgic and new.
For one night only, audiences can catch Verbal Diary at The CryerArts Centre on Thursday 30th October — a chaotic, heartfelt, and joyously unhinged celebration of British comedy heritage.
Tickets: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/cryerarts-ltd/t-gaqnkdr