REVIEW: FOOL'S GOLD @ BARONS COURT THEATRE

🎭 Fool's Gold

📍 28a Comeragh Road, London, W14 9HR

🗓 Tuesday 25th March 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

DEAD GOOD!

FOOL'S GOLD is a new dark comedy play from Agents of Chaos Theatre Company written by Malcolm Webb and is playing all this week at Barons Court Theatre where I was invited along to watch.

As we enter the space we are greeted with a ghost who is chilling out drinking cans and dancing to Take That songs! A rather obscure set up, but it does set the tone for the play wonderfully.

As the story begins we head straight into the action. It's 3am and in a dark graveyard David sets to work as a "covert excavator" - that's a grave-robber to you and me! He's awaiting the arrival of his usual digging partner but instead a new assistant turns up in the form of a brightly dressed and talkative newcomer who is excited for his first dig and seems to know far too much about the entire criminal enterprise.

Obviously neurodivergent, he is a fireball of energy and I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the two characters and their interactions. David gets understandably rather annoyed with his neurospicy assistant, but I couldn't help but love him. After all, he did drive all the way from Wiltshire in his Vauxhall to be there!

Then we have the ghost, which is actually a priest, which is actually David's ex co-worker Johnny. Throw in the addition of a runner who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and this show is a winner.

FOOL'S GOLD is filled to the brim with twists and turns which keeps the audience on their toes. The story is fast-paced meaning there is no time to get bored. It's refreshing to see such succinct writing that just gets to the point and tells the story. There is intent in every line and nothing here is throw away so the script has been well sculpted by Webb, who obviously understands his characters.

Webb also plays the role of the assistant and gives a wonderfully engaging performance. Ben Whittle lives every part of his role of David and the two together have wonderful chemistry. Edd Pullen displays terrific simplicity and naivety and CJ Jones has adorable innocence.

Jones also acts as director for the piece and uses the space well, never forgetting that the audience surround the performance area.

Sure this play is a little rough around the edges but I couldn't help but love the mixture of the seriously dark and fantastically comical, and the laddiness mixed with homo-erotic undertones.

Agents of Chaos Theatre Company are definitely one to watch and I'm excited to see more productions from them, wnd writing from Webb in the future. I'm officially a fan!

FOOL'S GOLD is a definite must-see production. It is playing at Barons Court Theatre until Saturday 29th March. Click here for tickets.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of Fool's Gold was gifted by Agents of Chaos Theatre Company who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

CAST LIST:

Malcolm Webb as The Assistant; Ben Whittle as David; Edd Pullen as The Ghost; CJ Jones as The Runner

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 20 minutes, wih interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Gun imagry and gunshots; Themes of murder and loss; Blood imagry