Writer/producer Elizabeth Wood was inspired to create this show by a young asylum seeker she met who was ‘stuck’ in rural England looking for connections and friendships but being met with suspicion and distrust. With musical director Tess Adèle Glinert and professional musician Scarlet Billham, Wood has crafted a short work packed with original songs to tell the story of an asylum seeker who is given an allotment to manage and his relationships with fellow allotment owners.
The staging is deliberately minimal: three camping chairs set against a backdrop originally bearing the words Lyminghurst Allotment Association which is then used to indicate the seasons shifting as the story unfolds. Very few props are needed beyond a trowel, a spade, and a stuffed cat — affectionately named Elton John — all of which are used to subtle but effective comic and narrative purpose.
Karwan, the young refugee, is played by Seraphim Gumede, who hails from the Netherlands and is making his UK stage debut. Alongside him the two stalwart allotment owners are played by Katherine Glasson as Virginia and Bret Jones as Hugh. Both Glasson and Jones bring years of experience to this musical and worked well together, alone, and in occasional duet with Gumede. They all have strong singing voices and the songs land well, although the thrust format means that the audience can occasionally lose fragments when the actors turn away.
I’m not usually a fan of comedy songs in a musical, but they worked remarkably well here. The songs carried the plot forward and revealed the characters’ feelings and motivations with real charm and witty lyrics: “We are diverse and inclusive, the opposite of exclusive!” sing the older allotment owners trying to get to grips with the ‘woke’ generation that Karwan belongs to.
As the characters grow closer, they edge towards the highlight of the allotment calendar: the coveted year‑end prize for ‘Best Allotment’, a title Hugh has held for the past eleven years. Here the play begins to probe more uncomfortable territory, nudging at our ingrained beliefs and assumptions and revealing a darker side of human nature. Without giving away any plot twists, the shift is genuinely thought‑provoking and prompts you to reflect on your own blind spots and hang‑ups.
This is a warm-hearted play, well written, well performed and a joy to watch.
Recommended.
Review by Fiona Gilbert
Karwan, a 17-year-old asylum seeker, survived the Channel, but can he survive middle England? After being handed an allotment plot in the provinces, he finds himself trapped in a petty turf war with a bunch of “boring old-age pensioners” who aren’t exactly rolling out the welcome mat.
As polite masks slip, age-old prejudices take root and war breaks out over who truly belongs. Featuring eleven original songs and inspired by real-life stories from teenage asylum seekers, this funny and provocative debut exposes the absurdities of bigotry at work in the UK.
Cast – Seraphim Gumede, Katherine Glasson, Bret Jones
Writer – Elizabeth Wood
Director and Musical Director – Tess Adèle Glinert
MURDER ON THE ALLOTMENT
The Cockpit, 10 and 11 August 2026
Presented as part of The Camden Fringe
