Theatre Review: Bud - King's Head Theatre ✭✭✭

Bud

Set in a Cornish Farm, Bud is a comedy which tells us the story of a man as he reminisces about the last 20 years of his life.

Bud affectionately tells us about his wife Myrna, who is 10 years his senior and suffers from arthritis, and his proposal of a one year courtship followed by marriage, which she accepted much to the surprise of the locals. As the story develops, however, we begin to see the sinister cracks within their relationship and the community, which ultimately leads to a shocking confession.

Photo by Agata Lulkowska

Neil Sheffield is cast as Bud in this one man show of the same name. He has the hard job of convincing the audience, as all focus is on him, leaving little, if any room for mistakes.

At times it was difficult to hear Sheffield through his thick accent and the cornflakes he seemed to enjoy eating but as a whole his portrayal of Bud was enjoyable to watch.

Sheffield took the funny and witty script, written by Nick Darke and added his own touch to it. In particular the nuances he gave to each character is a great credit to him.

One of the most gripping moments was when Bud reminisced about Myrna. Sheffield was believable and full of emotions as he reverberated that he loved Myrna and that his love was the sole reason for marrying her.

I enjoyed the show by The Tell Theatre Company and it is worth a shot if only to hear about the four-legged chicken and the tumble dryer and at only 50 minutes long it leaves room for a post show meal.

3 stars out of 5 ✭✭✭

Review by Unsa Chaudri

Listings information

Bud

King’s Head Theatre

115 Upper Street

London

N1 1QN

Sunday June 17 at 7.15pm

Monday June 18 at 7.15pm

Sunday June 24 at 7.15pm

Monday June 25 at 7.15pm

Sunday July 1 at 7.15pm

Monday July 2 at 7.15pm