May 9th – May 18th, 8.45pm, Theatre N16
Bev and Keith are a nice young couple who like to do their bit for the environment, and spend ten quid a month sponsoring an orphaned orangutan in a Sumatran sanctuary. They’re also trying hard for a baby. When their adopted orangutan turns up on the doorstep, he’s soon got his grippy feet firmly under the table and they find themselves parents to a hairy, delinquent teenager.
The dark and absurd comedy is performed in the style of a live radio recording and is described as Paddington Bear gone wrong. And not a bear.
“Sitcom meets Kafka” British Theatre Guide
Frank Sumatra is a Geordie! The play began life after it was commissioned for a tour of North East venues last year and is now coming to London to take part in the Wandsworth Fringe Festival. Jamie Eastlake, artistic director of Theatre N16, says: “I loved Frank Sumatra when I read the script and knew it would be a brilliant way to show off some cracking Geordie talent and humour down here.”
Frank Sumatra is written by Newcastle playwright Mike Yeaman. His comedies Lucky Numbers and
Canoeing For Beginners have been translated into several languages and produced in Europe and
New Zealand, as well as in the UK. The production is directed by Neil Armstrong (Writers’ Guild of
Great Britain and National Comedy award nominations) and has Pip Chamberlin, Dean Logan and Hannah Walker in the cast.
Theatre N16 is a trailblazing company that wants to change the face of the theatre industry. It is a bastion for the arts, making theatre accessible and affordable for audiences and in turn allowing artists to survive financially.