Mike Bartlett is one of those rare voices. A writer I admire deeply, whose work I actively seek out. So when I heard that Cock was being staged at COLAB Towers, I knew I had to be there.
From the moment we arrived, the production signalled that this would be no ordinary theatrical experience.
After a playful announcement – “anyone wanting Cock, please follow me” – we descended into the performance space, where there are a number of stairs, so check other entrances if you struggle with steps!
The lightness of the announcement quickly gave way to something far more intense. Which, I guess, is the exact feeling that sums up the play, Cock.
As we entered the performance space, each audience member was met with unwavering eye contact from one of the performers. It was immediate, deliberate, and deeply disarming. That sense of connection – of being seen, being chosen, validation – became defining features of the production and of the actors’ story trajectories.
So, the piece? What can I say? I absolutely loved it. No negatives in my opinion, and I cannot rave about it enough. Each element worked so well together. From the direction, casting, performance, to the lighting, costumes and staging. It just melted together and produced something wonderful to experience
As with all the works of Bartlett, it touched all my emotions! And, again with all Bartlett’s work, there is lots to deconstruct and talk about on the way home – My +1 and I discussed the show on our 45-minute walk home.
One striking aspect of this production is that throughout, the actors maintained an extraordinary level of eye focus, locking eyes with one another in a way that heightened every exchange. It shut out anyone but the person they were talking to.
Not an easy ask as a performer, and again it accentuated the themes of connection and isolating the world around you.
All four performers were incredible; their ability to show raw, vulnerable, and deliberate connections on stage was awesome to experience. They created a tension where they were pulling the audience into the emotional core of the piece.
The staging only amplified this effect. Performed in the round – more accurately, in the square – the action unfolded all around us. Scenes played out beside, in front of, and sometimes behind the audience, dissolving any comfortable distance between spectator and performer.
There was also no real set, aside from a piece of whiteish sheeting that covered a small section of the space. Interestingly and deliberately, all the ‘real’ emotion and intensity that the characters felt took place behind this screen, not in the main performance space.
There was a deliberate removal of all props, asking the audience to use their imagination. This choice worked incredibly well, forcing us to focus on the language used and not outside distractions. One audience member noted that there was no need for a cheesecake to be seen on set because, as an audience, we had already imagined the best cheesecake into existence – and regarding the cheesecake comment and depending on your opinions of the characters, the deliberate choice not to show an actual cheesecake in the final section of the play makes that moment heartbreaking or a signal of narcissistic manipulation.
As a four-hander piece produced without set and props, the play relies entirely on its cast – and here, each performer delivered something exceptional. Their precision, emotional clarity, and command of the space and text are remarkable. Every performance felt considered and alive, and it’s rare to come away from a show wanting to follow each actor’s career, but that was very much the case here. I’ve looked them up and noted their names for future productions.
This 2026 production of Cock is bold and unsettling as well as funny, thought-provoking, and didactic. Hugely relevant to today, the piece questions the human condition and the struggle for identity over experience.
By stripping everything back – set, space, and even comfort – it reveals the raw complexity at the heart of Bartlett’s writing. A compelling reminder of how powerful theatre can be when it dares to look you straight in the eye.
Go see it. Seriously, go see it.
Review by Faye Stockley
Cock, the hit comedy by British playwright Mike Bartlett, is about John, a gay man, who has been in a relationship with his partner for seven years. But when he meets and falls in love with a woman, he is forced to contemplate the boundaries of his identity and decide what he really wants for his future. It is a hilarious and touching look at the difficulties that pop up when you realize you have a choice.
John – Adrian deSalaiz
M – Michael Torontow
W – Tess Benger
F – Kevin Bundy
Written by Mike Bartlett
Director – Dylan Trowbridge
Assistant Director/Sound Design – Nolan Moberly
Production Design – Kathleen Black
Stage Manager – Katie Hoppa
COCK
COLAB Theatre
22 April to 2 May 2026
