Going Cuckoo at Fringe

Cuckoo is at The Open House, 146 Springfield Road, Brighton from May 7-21 at 8pm.

On the fringe of society, council cleaner Colin hides from the menacing teenagers on his housing estate. In return for protection and friendship, his self-appointed minder Kevin wants Colin’s wages and his spare room, but all Colin wants is to go to Disneyland. Can he make this come true before his dreams are hijacked by the invasion of his home?

Director Nick is promising a “gripping, darkly comedic tale of manipulation fuelled by a diet of pornography and scotch eggs”.

A former member of the Royal Court Young Writers’ Programme, Ben was runner-up in the New Writing South award for best new play in last year’s fringe festival.

Director Nick Warnford, responsible for fringe hit shows Power Lunch (2008), Hope Gap (2009) and After Party (2010), said: “With great humour and compassion Ben draws our attention to characters, like Colin, who have slipped through the cracks in our society. He exposes their vulnerability as they are preyed upon by those whose interests are instant self-gratification.

“At the same time this is a comment on a society of cheating the system, avoiding work, and seeking short-term kicks at the expense of the weak. Ben’s play is a gripping drama in a moral wasteland where Colin’s Disneyland dream of happiness has no place.”