FLY, YOU FOOLS! to Make London Debut at Southwark Playhouse

Following two successful seasons at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Recent Cutbacks brings Fly, You Fools! to Southwark Playhouse Borough in London, playing from Wednesday 25 November to Saturday 16 January 2027, with a press night on Friday 27 November. Following its London run, Fly, You Fools! heads to Birmingham Rep for five performances from Wednesday 20 January – Saturday 23 January.

Created by the team behind Hold on to Your Butts, Fly, You Fools! is a live, shot-for-shot parody of the first film in the most iconic fantasy franchise ever made. Four performers take on an epic adventure, using physical comedy, live sound effects, character impersonations, mime and theatrical ingenuity to recreate Middle-earth live on stage.

Compressing the beloved novel and epic 178-minute film into a riotous 60-minute theatrical experience, Fly, You Fools! celebrates the source material in a show for Tolkien obsessives and newcomers alike — a lovingly crafted celebration of fandom, film and live theatre.

The London run comes in the 25th anniversary year of The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring film release, following the show's sell-out Edinburgh seasons and the success of Recent Cutbacks' Hold on to Your Butts, which won over UK audiences in 2024 and 2025.

Director, producer and co-founder of Recent Cutbacks Kristin McCarthy Parker said: “We've been dreaming about bringing Fly, You Fools! to London for years, and I'm over the moon that it's finally happening in the film's 25th anniversary year. Watching UK audiences fall for Hold On To Your Butts in 2024 and 2025, and then for Fools at the Fringe these past two summers, convinced me this show belongs here. I really think we have a holiday hit on our hands, for Tolkien nerds and the whole family.”