EDINBURGH 2026: Review: THE LIBRARIANS: A VERY SERIOUS COMEDY!, Pleasance Courtyard
Slapstick physical farce meets workplace schemes in Cabbage Productions' dangerously clever comedy.
When Mischief Theatre, the comedic masterminds behind The Play That Goes Wrong—puts their stamp of recommendation on a show, expectations run high. They rarely miss a brilliant comedy, and The Librarians: A Very Serious Comedy! absolutely delivers. True to its cheeky title, writers Matthew Howell and Jack Michael Stacey for Cabbage Productions craft a high-octane blend of absurd theatricality anchored by surprisingly sharp, grounded observation.
At the crumbling Plumstanton Library, routine administrative decay devolves into an existential battle for survival. What makes the production stand out is how seamlessly it balances two distinct modes. On one hand, you have classical physical farce: spitting drinks, calamitous tumbles, and mechanical slapstick executed with clockwork precision. On the other, there is a biting satire of workplace politics, power struggles, desperate schemes, and even a murder!
The entire show rests on the shoulders of an impeccably calibrated performers. Functioning like a tight vocal ensemble where every chaotic line and reaction finds its harmony, all of the performers demonstrate absolute mastery over both physical slapstick and subtle character work. Nothing is played purely for cheap laughs; the stakes feel genuine to the characters, making their administrative panic as cathartic as it is hilarious. The Librarians proves that the fight for public services is best fought with sharp writing, physical brilliance, and total comedic commitment.
The Librarians: A Very Serious Comedy! plays at Pleasance Courtyard (Pleasance Two) through 31 August 2026.
Prefer BroadwayWorld in Google Search?
Add us as a preferred source so our stories show up more often in Top Stories and Google’s AI answers — for you.
Get Broadway News on WhatsApp
Receive the latest updates, breaking news, and exclusive coverage from Broadway directly in WhatsApp.
Love Theater in Ireland? Join The Community!
Whether you've got past experience writing about theater or just starting, the BroadwayWorld Community offers a unique opportunity to become a champion for your local arts community, helping raise awareness of local offerings and adding another local voice to the conversation at a time arts coverage is shrinking in the press across the continent. Join us and become a pivotal part of the movement that celebrates and promotes the arts in the digital age.
Learn MoreSign up for all the news on the Fall season, discounts & more...
|
To Hell in a Handbag: The Secret Lives of Canon Chasuble & Miss Prismby The Linenhall Arts Centre (9/29-9/29) |
|
David Nihill: Taking Tangents The Everyman, Cork (10/03-10/03) |
|
SOME OF OUR CHILDREN Quintessence Theatre (10/01-2/11) |
|
Stories from the Sea The Everyman, Cork (9/26-9/26) |
|
|
Steve Steinman''s Bat! Bat Out of Hell 50th Anniversary Tour 3Olympia Theatre (10/20-10/20) |
|
|
Murder Trial Tonight V - Death in the Family 3Olympia Theatre (3/08-3/08) |
|
Steve Steinman''s Fuel Injected Magic: 50th Anniversary Concert 3Olympia Theatre (10/20-10/20) |
|
Cats Bord Gais Energy Theatre (3/16-3/20) |
|
Cana Talks: Optimal Horizons Opium (10/08-10/08) |
|
|
Give My Head Peace Vicar Street (4/04-4/04) |
Reader Reviews
To post a comment, you must register and login.