:Deeper Underground:

My first foray into the world of visual comedy writing came in the shape of Deeper Underground, a show I co-wrote/directed/marketed/produced and performed in with 3 friends under the banner of Just Press Play. It proved to be a storming sell out success at the Pleasance during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2003.

Rush hour:
armpit in your face
briefcase in your back
going no-where fast

Four strangers rammed in a carriage with no way out

Join them Deeper Underground for their journey through reality and out the other side...

Our slick half-hour show entered the minds of four passengers stuck somewhere under London on a broken down tube train, with some suprising results!

Production photos:

(click thumbnail to view larger image...)

Scotsman:

"Arriving at a punchy 30 minutes long, Deeper Underground is a quickly consumed, quirky physical comedy that I strongly urge punters at the Pleasance Dome to conclude their evenings with. Little more than four strangers on a train, thoughts relayed by pop music and voiceover, their entrapment on London's Tube will strike a horrible discord with anyone who's ever been on public transport, hot, frustrated and pondering the murder of fellow passengers...

...the young cast... give confident, carefully nuanced performances where the slightest twitch of a mouth triggers fantasy sequences and waking nightmares reminiscent of Scrubs and Ally McBeal, before it became self-parody. Moreover, for something so utterly throwaway it's beautifully choreographed and paced to perfection - the tension in the carriage rising higher and higher with the mercury, the audience physically sharing the eventual release...

A true Fringe experience, Deeper Underground is simple, undemanding fun."

Chortle:

"Perfectly choreographed, and possibly featuring the funkiest soundtrack on the fringe, our quartet skillfully re-enact scenes from their imagination, including a specially impressive Matrix-style fight sequence.

Deeper Underground provokes a quick late-night blast of pure energy. With more kick than a vodka Red Bull it's a perfect prelude to some serious partying.

There's not much of a yardstick to measure this oddity by, but it is great fun."

Cast:

Briefcase - Jay Kerry
Orange Face - Carol Roache
Backpack - Maria Thomas
Headphones - Lois Tucker

Voices:
Train Driver - Anthony Comerford
Train Engineer - Patrick Hakkinen

Sound Engineers: Ben Wickerson & John Wright
Bananaman Theme Tune Remix: Jae Kerwood
Performance advice: Stéphane Lévy & Sophie Kasser
Accent advice: Mary Howland
Print design - Adi Gilbert
Logo design - Andy Browning
Publicity photos: Shelley Durston
Lois' hair by: Pepi's
French translation: Valli Dakshinamurthi
Financial support: The Really Useful Group