The Hen & Chickens Theatre, London – until 25th April 2026
Reviewed by Celia AS
3***
Channel Surfing At The End Of Days is a new anthology play created and directed by Callum Pardoe and grassroots production company Friends of David. Set just before the apocalypse, short (and a few not so short) scenes detail the lives of ordinary people going about their day. Unconnected, we cycle through a rolodex of everyday happenings, big and small, jumping from quiet connections between couples to massive crashing examples of grief. Some of the stories are funny, some are poignant, some are just people ambling through life; little snapshots of humanity.
Some of the scenes were excellent, however the channel hopping bitty nature of the show meant that at times it felt more like a workshopping exercise rather than a finished piece of theatre. The unknown impending disaster is a non-existent threat which is all at once a lovely idea because no one wants to know that they are about to be obliterated but also there was a lack of drama or connective tissue. If the title had not included the words “End Of Days” I don’t think I would have known what was going on, and even then it was a bit unclear.
Joe Stanton, Eleanor Cobb, Natasha Mula, and Matt Williams make up the cast of four. They are dressed in everyday white shirts and grey trousers and they stand at the edge of the stage, waiting to play an awkward couple or a man facing the person who has come to kill him. Collectively the company has great chemistry and swiftly moves from scene to scene, tackling with ease whatever dynamic is thrown at them. The set is minimal, just a few props which are used in every scene. Technical design by Benedict Case is also fairly minimal, but effective in such a small space. To mark the “switching channels” the lights go down and there is a clunk sound effect.
There are moments that make you laugh out loud, and scenes that tug at your heartstrings, and it certainly gives you a lot to think about, but despite great performances I left wanting a bit more of what was promised in the description of Friends of David: the bizarre, the abstract and the grotesque.