★★★★

“a wonderful antidote to the long winter nights”

It’s the ultimate medical breakthrough. Two scientists have discovered the ‘Wonder Jab’; the universal cure for everything. Although on the surface they look and behave as though they can’t tell a test tube from a jam jar. The whole thing looks rather dodgy. Dr Max (Rob Pomfret) and his ice-maiden boss, Dr Judy (Sophie Mackall), are holed up in what looks like an under-funded basement laboratory. Alice Carroll’s stark set suggests covert, subterranean mischief where oxygen and ethics are thin on the ground.

Instead, though, the air is thick with satire and chaotic humour in Lloyd Evans’ new play, “One Jab Cures All”. Max and Judy are on the cusp of fame and are grappling with what it all means – for themselves and for the world. We don’t know how they discovered this miracle cure. But then again, neither do they. What we do know is that they intend to administer it via chocolate mini-rolls and cake (watch out for the Victoria sponge that triggers all sorts of shenanigans like Chekhov’s Gun). A press conference is imminent, but the couple are at loggerheads about how to tell their story to the world; even though it has already been leaked by the Russians, who apparently funded and under-tested the research.

Judy sees dollar signs and wants to privately sell it to the rich and powerful elite – the billionaires and the illuminati. Max, on the other hand, wants it to be distributed, free, for everyone. If they keep it a secret, they’ll make millions of pounds. If they share it, they’ll save millions of lives. It is a global contradiction, played out in a tiny space. Director Matthew Parker skilfully steers his cast around the confines of the stage, blending well the slapstick with the biting dialogue. Like the protagonists who mix their chemicals with gay abandon, the result is unpredictable, if not quite explosive. Into the mix wander Max’s teenage daughter Felicity (Lauren Whitehill) and junior researcher Vic (Jay Warn). Loyalties are ripped apart. Felicity and Vic are pulled together while Judy and Max are polar opposites. Attraction and repulsion are equal forces here, and the messy magnetism of the performances draw us in.

There is a heightened theatricality to the characters that, because of their many layers, avoids caricature. Each cast member captures their inconsistencies with a natural understanding of the humour and absurdity of the human condition. Pomfret is the humanitarian with loose morals, a devoted single dad who likes to keep the babysitter warm on winter nights. Judy is a hard nut who melts under flattery, and Mackall nimbly presents vanity as vulnerability. Like all, she is just looking for love. Warn’s Vic is quirky and nerdy but loveably real while Whitehill is a ball of innocent, scatty and funny energy.

In lockdown, many people were, understandably, concerned about the speed with which the vaccines were rolled out. An over explored and over discussed premise, but Evans mirrors the theme with originality and freshness. There is a fair amount of meandering into subplots and shoe-horned subtexts. Lengthy discussions about family, marriage, love and ageing, for example, sludge the narrative in places and the intermittent lack of focus detracts from the main thread. Yet the gentle zigzagging does lead to some finely executed twists. A little less clunkiness in the physical comedy would get us there with fewer stumbles on the journey.

“One Jab Cures All” is a wonderful antidote to the long winter nights. An eccentric tale of medicine, money, morals and miracles. It goes down with more than a spoonful of sugar and the only side effects that you need to worry about are a few extra laughter lines.

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN

Theatre at the Tabard

★★★★

“the world created is authentically and vividly brought to life”

Over the years, Theatre at the Tabard have built a solid reputation for creating family-friendly alternatives to pantomime over the festive season. In a city that is currently overrun with beanstalks, beauties, beasts and dames; to spend an evening with a company that harks back to traditional story telling is a breath of fresh air. This year, Edith Nesbit’s “The Railway Children” – adapted for the stage by Louise Haddington – further seals the Tabard’s reputation with its heartwarming take on the classic Edwardian story.

We are not plunged into a winter wonderland, but instead gently guided into the remote, rural Yorkshire landscape. There are some Yuletide concessions. Nick Gilbert’s choice of music incorporates hints of carols and, along with some festive snowfall, a modest Christmas tree accompanies the exchange of gifts. Like every ingredient of this show, the balance is carefully measured. Although geared to the younger audience the appeal spans the generations. Like the original novel and subsequent film adaptations, Haddington plucks at older heartstrings as well as playing to a youthful curiosity and sense of adventure.

The story is introduced by Perks, the perky (sorry!) station master, who quickly becomes friends with the three children who have wound up in the village of Oakworth. Uprooted from their London home the three children – Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis – arrive with their mother. Poverty has forced them to leave the city following the false arrest and imprisonment of their father for espionage; a fact that the mother keeps hidden from the rest of the family. Initially the children are unhappy with their new rat-infested home, but they quickly warm to the unfamiliar environment, finding amusement by the railway tracks and waving to the passengers on the trains that pass them by.

Clever and skilful simplicity rules the day, which is reflected in Rob Miles’ set design, manoeuvred by the actors to usher us from the railway station platform, to the cottage, to the rail tracks and to the village’s stone bridges and open fields. Simon Reilly’s smooth direction follows suit, neatly establishing the characters’ emotions as they rise and fall in rhythm to the contours of the storyline, firmly adopting the ‘less-is-more’ approach. Emma Rowe, Max Pascoe and Anya Burlton – as Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis respectively – tap into their childish nature without overplaying the child: Rowe, in particular, as the eldest sibling prematurely grappling with maternal responsibilities. Kirsten Shaw, as the mother, conveys well the era-specific need to reign in her emotions. Yet, although she can shield them from her children, she manages to convey them to the audience. Jay Olpin, as Perks, lights up the stage but can also provide shade, particularly when he reacts adversely to a surprise celebration of his birthday.

Christopher Laishley is the old gentleman who waves to the children from the train each morning. Laishley also plays the local doctor, the exiled Russian writer Mr Szczepanksky, and the children’s father, convincingly differentiating the roles with subtlety. The gentle flow of the show remains intact throughout, even though we are occasionally wanting a bit more boisterous conversation from the kids. Edwardian deference aside, it is unlikely that they would – without fail – allow a sibling’s sentence to finish before starting their own.

Yet overall, the dynamics are quite dazzling, and the world created is authentically and vividly brought to life, spurred on by Nat Green’s lighting (along with Gilbert’s soundscape), mixing evocative hues with bursts of smoke. The landslide scene in which a rail disaster is averted is effectively created with ingenious simplicity. Ultimately this is a moving tale that doesn’t wear its heart on its sleeve – the messages are subliminal – the emotions of hope and courage are felt rather than spelt out. The audience is split pretty much fifty-fifty across the young and the old. There is something here for everyone. You’d be wise to book for this journey quickly before it’s standing room only.

Tag Archives: Theatre at the Tabard

ONE JAB CURES ALL

★★★★

Theatre at the Tabard

ONE JAB CURES ALL

Theatre at the Tabard

★★★★

“a wonderful antidote to the long winter nights”

ONE JAB CURES ALL

Theatre at the Tabard

Reviewed on 15th January 2026

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Lidia Crisafulli

ONE JAB CURES ALL

ONE JAB CURES ALL

ONE JAB CURES ALL

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN

★★★★

Theatre at the Tabard

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN

Theatre at the Tabard

★★★★

“the world created is authentically and vividly brought to life”