“All conflict is personal. The war has taken many casualties. Will this friendship be the latest?”
That’s the question at the heart of An Intervention, Mike Bartlett’s celebrated two-hander comedy about war, addiction, and what happens when you hate your best friend.
This revival from director Dom Stephens brings the sharp, funny, and unexpectedly touching play to life with just two performers. Neila Stephens and Tom Zachar.
Protest, Television, and an Explosive Friendship
One character has just marched in a mass protest. The other sat at home and caught a glimpse of it on TV. From that seemingly small difference spirals an argument that is at once hilarious, devastating, and recognizably human.
“Yeah it’s fun this conversation isn’t it,” one character quips, “because we could be talking about the war or about my relationship with the mother of my child.”
This is Bartlett at his best—tackling huge ideas through the most intimate lens. What does it mean to stand by someone when the world is falling apart? What if the person you can’t live without is the person you can’t stand?
Mop N Bucket Theatre
Mop N Bucket Theatre didn’t set out to be a theatre company. They stumbled into it in drama school, in what they call a “swirling mess of ideas.” Their first show, Lost Property, featured many strange characters—most memorably an obscene mop and bucket duo that gave the company its name.
Since then, Mop N Bucket has leaned into creating theatre that finds comedy in the darkest corners of modern life. Their 2022 Fringe show, Raw Sex Appeal, unpacked incels, the manosphere, and toxic masculinity—proving that if the world is absurd and awful, you might as well laugh at it.
With An Intervention, the company continues its tradition of confronting the horrible state of things—through the lens of friendship, war, and love.
An intervention is on at The Space, London from 26th Aug-30th Aug
Special Offer for Performing Recovery Readers
As a thank you to our readers, Mop N Bucket Theatre is offering a 20% discount on tickets. Use code RECOVERY20 at checkout to claim your discount.
Book here: https://space.org.uk/event/an-intervention/
