From the creator of the Netflix phenomenon ‘Adolescence’ comes a razor-sharp black comedy that pulls no punches — live and unfiltered at Department, Ryde from 13th – 15th August. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll wonder how so much twisted brilliance fits into one show. Buckle up — it’s going to get weird.
‘Burying Your Brother in the Pavement’ by Jack Thorne is a dark comic play about grief, family, and the complexities of relationships. The story centres on Tom, whose brother Luke has died. Despite their strained relationship, with Tom admitting he didn’t like Luke, Tom decides to bury his brother’s body in the pavement of the estate where Luke was killed.
Tom, an ordinary teenager, is hiding in the attic to escape the funeral for his brother, Luke, which is taking place in the house below. Luke died on the streets of the dingy, crime-ridden Tunstall Estate, his neck slashed by a broken bottle. The world outside, reflected through Tom’s vivid imagination, is colourful and surreal: he is the second coming of Christ; his teacher, Mr Wilkins, has sex with a blow-up doll; people break out unexpectedly into music-hall routines.
Tom hatches a plan to bury his brother under the pavement where he died, and camps out there, meeting a succession of characters: planning officials, tramps, undertakers, police officers, sisters, mothers, estate agents, ghosts, pavement elephants, sky dragons and a boy called Tight who wants to sell him a Travelcard.
Through his unconventional act of mourning, the play uses humour and surrealism to explore Tom’s journey of understanding his brother (and ultimately, himself) and the mystery of how he died Go see it, but it’s best to take a friend as the Tunstall estate isn’t somewhere you want to be alone…
If you think a show about grief, love, and family is going to be all doom and gloom, you’d definitely be wrong. Burying Your Brother in the Pavement will tug at the heartstrings but is sparky and surprisingly funny. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry but most of all you’ll be glad you came. So bring a friend or bring your brother and with less than a week to go, get your tickets now.
August 13-15th Department Ryde. Book tickets at Burying Your Brother In The Pavement | Pink Cow Theatre
