By Mark St Germain
Based on the Memoir by Eddie Jaku
20 NOV – 14 DEC 2024
Tickets:
£22 Standard / £17.50 Concessions / Previews £16
Review from All that Dazzles Nov. 26, 2024
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Sometimes, in theatre, as in life, everything comes together. Even a one man show really has a cast of many – writer, director, and producer; sound, set, costume and lighting designers – the list goes on, and their work can add up to more than the sum of its parts. So it is in The Happiest Man on Earth at Southwark Playhouse Borough. Adapted from the bestselling memoir of Eddie Jaku and originally produced at the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA, every element of this production works together perfectly. The result is a confident piece of theatre that is all the more powerful for its simplicity.
Review from Broadway World Nov. 26, 2024
Mark St Germain adapts Jaku’s life story into a 90-minute one-man show that overflows with empathy and hope. Directed by Ron Lagomarsino, the piece transcends the limits of theatre. From the get-go, the set-up of the stage isolates the audience completely. There’s nothing but this room right now, no doors in sight nor any escape from James Noone’s design. Two walls – lighting rigs backed by black fabric – close in on Southwark’s studio space, while wooden slats do the rest.
Review from London Theatre Reviews Nov. 26, 2024
The retelling that unfolds is gripping and quite ineffable. Packed into an 85-minute monologue, Tigar consumes our attention as he reaches both ends of the emotional spectrum, yet still finds space for the comedy that is almost always found tagging alongside horrific tragedy. Tigar’s vulnerability is a display of true humanity, while the higher-octane moments paint a vivid imagination; giving us the tiniest glimpse of what Jaku experienced.
