Joseph Morpurgo Is Monstrously Funny In Hammerhead

Hammerhead begins at The End. We have been sat, we're told, through Joseph Morpurgo's marathon nine-hour stage play of Frankenstein. And now we're going to relive it, bit by tedious bit.

So begins the thesp-audience Q&A, frothing increasingly with desperation and bile — as Morpurgo's twisted version of himself foists his perceived genius onto us. He describes in aching pretentiousness why he had to play all characters himself; why one of them is a servant called Brannigan who's obsessed with strudel; why one of the scenes is merely a series of sounds and shapes.

The Frankenstein show is, of course, the real monster that's been created here — one that sees the inevitable unravelling of the star's fragile ego, a full-on breakdown, and the confiscation of the audience's after-Q&A cheese and wine. The loopy video segues — which appear to owe much to Look Around You — make Hammerhead a frighteningly-well layered slab of character comedy.

Joseph Morpurgo: Hammerhead is at Soho Theatre until 28 October, and then from 2-6 January 2018. Tickets from £9