CHARLEY’S AUNT
Watermill Theatre
★★★★★
“Rob Madge’s adaptation is an education”
“Charley’s Aunt” is one of the most successful and enduring British farces of all time. Written by Brandon Thomas, it premiered in London in 1892 and has been hugely popular ever since. Its absurd plot, fast paced humour and clever use of mistaken identity and cross-dressing make it a hallmark of archetypal farce, influencing many later comedies, films and sitcoms.
In this joyous new adaptation, superbly directed by Sophie Drake, this classic Victorian play has been given a glow-up by Rob Madge, the award winning creator of My Son’s a Queer (But What can you do?). From the moment you enter the auditorium, the diversity of the audience, the outrageous pink set and the sound of Dora Jar, Doja Cat and Gil Berg leave you in no doubt where we are heading for the night. Rob Madge said ‘how do we tackle gender bending being used as a comedic trope in this current age?’ Well they have managed to recycle and repurpose a brilliant farce, bring it bang up to date and make Charley’s Aunt as relevant to our society as it was to the Victorians.
The plot remains roughly the same, ambiguously set in Victorian times, but with some amusing modern phrases and twists – satisfyingly stronger roles for the women being a positive addition. Two young Oxford Undergraduates, Jack Chesney (Benjamin Westerby) and Charley Wykeham (a quite hilarious performance by Jonathan Case), want to propose to their girlfriends Kitty Verdun (Yasmin Özdemir) and Amy Spettigue (Mae Munuo). Their proposal is thwarted by rigid social etiquette and the need to have a proper chaperone present – Charley’s wealthy Aunt, Donna Lucia d’Alvadorez (a fabulously restrained Maggie Service) is supposed to arrive from Brazil, but when she doesn’t show up, they have to find someone to dress up and take her place so they can entertain the girls.
This production is an absolute hoot with a very talented and strong cast. The whole concept and vibrant costume design (Alex Berry) has a distinctly ‘Bridgerton on steroids’ feel to it. The versatile set lends itself well to the farcical elements of the play, and everyone is scrambling to meet the standards of Victorian marriage and propriety, which are easily mocked and subverted.
At the heart is queering up Charley’s Aunt which is a fantastic idea – the play is already full of gender-bending, identity confusion and performative social norms, which makes it ripe for a queer reimagining. The casting of a non-binary actor (a sensitive yet riotous performance by Max Gill) as Babbs instead of a heterosexual actor explores how their identity makes the disguise both more complicated and yet more liberating – revealing layers the original play only hinted at.
Rob Madge’s adaptation is an education.. transforming a 19th century farce into a tool for contemporary social education, revealing how gender is performed, how identity is constructed and how joy and comedy can challenge outdated norms – all while inviting modern audiences to confront and celebrate the complexities of queerness. Charley’s Aunt is about putting on a role to gain love or acceptance – a deeply relatable queer experience. Queering it doesn’t just modernise this play – it unlocks what was already there, just beneath the surface.
CHARLEY’S AUNT
Watermill Theatre
Reviewed on 8th October 2025
by Sarah Milton
Photography by Mark Senior
Previously reviewed at this venue:
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR | ★★★★★ | July 2025
THREE HENS IN A BOAT | ★★★★★ | May 2025
PIAF | ★★★★ | April 2025
THE KING’S SPEECH | ★★★★ | September 2024
BARNUM | ★★★★ | July 2024
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING | ★★★★ | April 2024
THE LORD OF THE RINGS | ★★★★★ | August 2023
MANSFIELD PARK | ★★★★ | June 2023
