SPEAK OF THE DEVIL to Make London Debut at The Hope Theatre

The Matchbox Company has announced the debut of Elise Simond's second play Speak of the Devil which will run at The Hope Theatre this autumn. Ethan Beckley, Zoë Benefer, Richard Dodgson, Georgina Klovig-Skelton, Tom O'Reilly, and Rachael Thornton bring this new text to life, for the first time. With voiceovers from the award-winning Anna Moorey, and original music from Bobby Zizza, Dom Zizza and Georgina Klovig-Skelton, this striking and unnerving new show explores the transient travelling relationships of the people you hardly notice.

'That's the thing, working here. You're always in the middle, never quite settled. You're always between places.'

The second play from writer/director Elise Simond and the team from The Matchbox Company Speak of the Devil is a one-act play that captures the strange paradox between wanting to mind your own business, and looking for a human connection.

The 9am train to Penzance is facing an unexpected delay. And for the passengers in carriage E, this is not the day for a holdup. There's a journalist chasing down a story. An actor preparing for a callback. A mechanic and a dentist with traffic-jammed schedules. And a young girl who's just got to get home.

While they wait for an update, the group attempt to fill the hours with personal stories and crossword puzzles. But with every passing moment, their conversations seem to be stirring up increasingly disturbing memories for the on-board ticket inspector.

With something squirming in a carry-on, and an ocean view where the countryside should be, the idea that something isn't quite right is becoming harder to ignore. The tide is coming in, and tension is rising. But you know the British – they'll do anything to avoid a fuss.

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