Cuckooed

for a previous production "All that Thomas does, over an hour, is to make a brilliant job of telling this sad tale of activism and betrayal, and of a friendship lost. In Emma Callander’s fluent production, though, he does it in irresistible style, funny, self-deprecating, infinitely accessible, eloquent in its use of film and video, but never overwhelmed by it. And by the end of the show, he is asking hard, passionate questions to which every citizen of the UK should have an answer." Full Review

for a previous production "This is political theatre at its very best. Thomas takes his audience through a tale of political activism and espionage that takes the breath away...The delivery is impassioned but lightened with underlying wit, which is necessary for such an important subject. The messages of this chilling production, expertly directed by Emma Callander, are all too clear. We could all be unwitting victims of this kind of spying." Full Review

for a previous production "Mark Thomas is the most intelligent of the modern leftist standups: impassioned, a practical activist emotionally driven but capable of rich mockery of himself, his confreres and the absurdity and illogic which threatens all human endeavours, even (or especially) the most sincere. In this riveting, headlong narrative there are plenty of laughs...Outrage,sadness, humour, and an underlying solid decency: whatever your politics and pragmatisms, an unmissable hour." Full Review

for a previous production "Mark Thomas delivers a blisteringly funny yet searingly powerful look into one of the many chapters in his life...'Cuckooed' is blisteringly funny, searingly powerful, totally thought provoking and pure brilliance. Thomas strikes gold yet again." Full Review

for a previous production "Uncomfortable as it is at times to watch, ‘Cuckooed’ is a very funny show about a serious, indeed deadly, business...This is vintage Mark Thomas – seriously funny in all the best senses, and as he so often is, bang on the money." Full Review

for a previous production "There was no need for bandstands, there was no need to think of faraging the bin in an effort to feel productive or proactive after the show, this was just a performance in which to share the pain, to dissolute it if possible by laughing with Mark Thomas, but understanding what can only be described as grief wrapped up in a bellyful of laughter. A stirring and emotional night of pure brave genius." Full Review

for a previous production "Thomas’s energy never falters despite the serious subtext behind the humour. A wittily-crafted play, which, amongst the laughter, raises questions of the faith that the people place in government; who can we trust if everyone is spying on one another? The whole audience will have been cuckooed by Mark Thomas’s performance as his fearlessly funny investigation is brought to an end at the Traverse Theatre." Full Review

for a previous production "He is an engaging storyteller who is hilarious yet sensitive, and has an incredible thirst for fighting injustice in the world...Throughout the performance, which was laced with humour and poignancy, he was able to switch tones effortlessly, and all completely genuine. It is also impressive how he commands such stage presence for a one-man show. He draws you in with this fascinating tale, and leaves you feeling both reflective and inspired. Quite simply- brilliant." Full Review

for a previous production "The show itself could hardly have been more clever. As the evidence piled up, the capacity audience grew almost as angry as Thomas himself. Somehow, though, for all the hurt and betrayal, Thomas found rich seams of humour and mined them relentlessly. Both thought-provoking and hilarious, Thomas is always worth twice the asking price." Full Review

for a previous production "Mark Thomas's new show is in the theatre section of the Fringe brochure, but this hour, full of laughs and witty lines as it is, could easily be under the heading of comedy...'Cuckooed' is a masterful piece of storytelling and an engrossing hour...Emma Callander directs a neatly constructed and riveting hour." Full Review

for a previous production "Before the interval he assures each spectator that the second half of his performance is 'brilliant.' He does not disappoint...Throughout 'Cuckooed' unorthodox performance methods...The new methods modernise and rejuvenate the theatre experience as today’s audiences are encouraged to think interactively, holistically and altogether differently." Full Review

for a previous production "A clever, funny and angry show. One that is imbued with genuine sadness too...Part of the power of this neatly crafted one-man show is the way it exposes how easily we believe and how hard it is to accept that we have been duped... His roots in standup are in evidence in his self-deprecating humour, but he also plays mischievously with the pretences of theatre as he explores the uses and misuses of deception and reminds us that you should never believe everything you are told." Full Review

for a previous production "'Cuckooed' is more than just comedy theatre. It is thought-provoking storytelling that holds the audience’s attention with aggression and passion...It is an emotional journey that Thomas takes us on and this makes 'Cuckooed' a powerful and important story to tell." Full Review

for a previous production "'Cuckooed' was gripping from start to finish and was so well executed that it was easy to forget for a moment that the events portrayed were more than simply a story created for the stage. That is, until the ending, which came somewhat abruptly in a flurry of shaky camera footage. The moment the performance ended felt like a blurry eyed awakening but as one fellow audience member so aptly put it, the hoped-for resolution could never come, ‘because this is real life.'" Full Review