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.
Originally written in 2009 by acclaimed British playwright Mike Bartlett, Cock feels newly urgent in this bold reimagining 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 that had everyone talking, 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.
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. The language is sharp, often funny, sometimes brutal, revealing a play about the pressure to define yourself in a world that craves certainty.
Staged at COLAB 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 seatsper performance, this London run places viewers inside the conflict, restoring a sense of risk and immediacy that feels entirely in keeping with the play itself.
Directed by Dylan Trowbridge, the cast features Dora Mavor Moore Awards nominees Aidan deSalaiz and Michael Torontow, as well as META nominee Tess Benger and Kevin Bundy.
Trowbridge comments, ‘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 maximize 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.’
COLAB, 22 Southwark Bridge Road, SE1 9HB from Wednesday 22nd April – Saturday 2nd May 2026
Box Office: https://tickets.colabtheatre.co.uk/event/65916?date=2026-04
£20 plus VAT and £1.50 box office fee
