Theatre: Cock Returns to London

Following sold-out runs in Canada and tours to Japan, South Africa, and Brazil, Cock comes to London this Spring in a raw, intimate new staging from Canada’s acclaimed Talk Is Free Theatre.

Written in 2009 by British playwright Mike Bartlett, Cock is meant to feel newly urgent in this bold re-imagining which examines the play through a contemporary lens, embracing fresh experimentation to ask how shifting identities and a changed world reshape the questions at its heart.

After the 2022 West End adaption starring Jonathan Bailey and Joel Harper-Jackson this new iteration offers London the chance to encounter Bartlett’s play again in a strikingly different, close-quarters setting, with an entirely new cast.

Staged at COLAB London in an immersive, arena-like configuration, audiences sit in close proximity to the performers, witnessing every shift in power at close range. With a capacity of just 34 seats per performance, this run places viewers inside the conflict, restoring a sense of risk and immediacy that feels entirely in keeping with the play itself.

At the core of the show is John, a man who has been in a steady relationship with his boyfriend for seven years. But when he unexpectedly falls in love with a woman, he is forced to confront questions he has long avoided about whether choosing the “easier” option is the same as choosing the right one. Bartlett’s script is fast and unsentimental; there is no set, no props and no theatrical embellishment, just four actors caught in an escalating emotional stand-off.

These are photo stills from the Toronto production in 2025:

The cast features Toronto’s Dora Mavor Moore Awards nominees Aidan deSalaiz (Macbeth, The Stratford Festival; Company, Talk Is Free Theatre ) and Michael Torontow (Every Brilliant Thing, Royal Manitoba Theatre; Titanique, Mirvish Productions), as well as META nominee Tess Benger (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre; Top Girls, Shaw Festival) and Kevin Bundy (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Toronto Ed Mirvish Theatre; As You Like It, Stratford Festival).

Director Dylan Trowbridge tells us:

Despite what its title may suggest, Cock is a play about the human heart. It is about love’s capacity to make us feel euphoric joy, brutal pain, desperate fear and overwhelming confusion. The play is a battle, and the participants are fully exposed. Bartlett strips the script of visual and theatrical elements. He does this to bring the hearts and souls and hopes and fears of the characters into full focus. Inspired by this, we have removed the story from a traditional theatre space. Our venue is designed to maximise exposure and immerse our audience in a space of conflict – a battlefield with combatants and spectators in dangerously close proximity. Ultimately though, our exploration of Cock has been governed by this principle: we only have one beautiful, precious, fucked-up life to live. We must pursue joy, wonder and love with vigour and courage. Even if it hurts.

Dates: Wednesday 22nd April – Saturday 2nd May 2026
Location: COLAB, 22 Southwark Bridge Road, SE1 9HB
Box Office: tickets.colabtheatre.co.uk
Price: £25.50 (inc. £1.50 box office fee)
Running Time: approx 90 minutes with no intermission
Guidance: The strongest of coarse language; strong suggestive sexual content (no nudity).

Creatives
Director: Dylan Trowbridge
Assistant Director/Sound Designer: Nolan Moberly
Production Design: Kathleen Black
Stage Manager: Katie Hoppa

Cast
John: Aidan deSalaiz
M: Michael Torontow
W: Tess Benger
F:  Kevin Bundy

Social Media: @talkisfreetheatre
Website:www.tift.ca/shows/cock