Set in a crumbling execution chamber, The Dying Wish follows two weary hangmen, Rooney and Ingmar, as they prepare to execute Paul Freeman, a man condemned for an escalating list of bizarre and nonsensical crimes that reveal more about the broken system than the man himself. As new methods of execution are proposed, unexpected visitors arrive, and the charges grow ever more surreal, the piece spirals into absurdity, dehumanisation, and moral ambiguity. The line between duty and cruelty blurs, forcing both the hangmen and the audience to question the very nature of guilt, punishment, and complicity. Darkly comic, surreal, and uncomfortably real, The Dying Wish confronts audiences with the contradictions of institutional violence and our collective moral blindness. It builds toward an eye-opening and unexpected finale that is more funny and thought-provoking than frightening, shining a light on the moral absurdities of our own world. Content warnings: Age 18+. Explores dark themes including injustice, execution, and grief, but is handled with absurdist humour and satirical style. Some scenes contain mild strong language, flashing lights, and loud sounds. Produced by Fractured Time Productions, a female-led, ethnically diverse, sustainable and inclusive UK-based theatre company directed by Claire-Monique Martin and Verônica Sarno, the show embodies our mission: to reimagine the classics through today’s lens of language, culture, and lived experience. We delve into the past to shed light on the present, producing daring, socially relevant new writing rooted in classic theatre traditions while remaining environmentally conscious with set, props, and costume. Written by the exceptionally talented Brazilian writer Mauro Fazion, the play balances echoes of history with urgent contemporary questions. Mauro describes working with Fractured Time as “aligning with my ambition for a new kind of theatre — breaking the conventions of stage and film into tiny pieces.”
BOYS IN THE BUFF (12/10/25-1/10/26)
Golden Goose Theatre is at 146 Camberwell New Road, Camberwell, London, London.
BOYS IN THE BUFF (12/10/25-1/10/26)
Still Here (9/2/25-9/6/25)
'Love, Edith' - The Secret Correspondence (4/30/24-5/4/24)
I Victor (8/2/22-8/4/22)
Assisted (12/1/21-12/4/21)