THE LIBRARIANS: A Very Serious Comedy to Make Edinburgh Fringe Debut
The Pleasance will host the farce written by Matthew Howell and Jack Michael Stacey.
THE LIBRARIANS: A Very Serious Comedy! will make its Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut from Cabbage Productions, the team behind the sell-out hit SPY MOVIE: The Play!.
Set in the struggling Plumstanton Library, the comedy follows a recently disgraced civil servant who is sent to rescue the institution from collapse. With the building deteriorating, visitor numbers dwindling, and an inspector due to arrive, staff and supporters race to identify the mystery visitor and convince them that the library deserves to survive.
As confusion mounts and plans unravel, the production uses the library as a backdrop for a broader satire of bureaucracy, public services, and contemporary Britain.
Produced in association with The Pleasance, the play is written by Matthew Howell and Jack Michael Stacey, who previously performed together in the West End production of The Play That Goes Wrong. Howell is an Offie-nominated writer and former member of Mischief, while Stacey's screen credits include Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story and Outrageous.
The writers said, “We think theatre comedy can and should have something to say about our lives, culture, politics, and beliefs — whilst still being brilliantly funny. We want to hold a mirror up to the British psyche, smash it apart, and make you laugh while we do it.”
They added, “THE LIBRARIANS: A Very Serious Comedy! is our love letter to satire, farce, and the travails of modern Britain — where institutions are underfunded yet criticised, and appearances matter more than reality. This tiny, crumbling library becomes a microcosm of a country trying to hold itself together while everything quietly falls apart.”
The production examines the role libraries continue to play within local communities while using comedy to explore wider conversations about public spaces, civic institutions, and social change.
Cabbage Productions was a Charlie Hartill Award finalist in 2026 and previously earned a Fringe Theatre Award for SPY MOVIE: The Play!.
Described by its creators as combining the spirit of Fawlty Towers and The Thick of It, THE LIBRARIANS: A Very Serious Comedy! blends fast-paced farce with contemporary political satire.
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