30 January – 7 March
Stage adaptations of TV shows are very much in vogue. Given the resounding success of stage-sitcoms Only Fools and Horses, the Barn’s Friends: The Musical and Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, plus I’m Sorry Prime Minister, the latest West End revival of another small screen classic, it is perhaps no surprise that the Barn has trained its sights on one of the most popular sitcoms of the 1990s. Across six series from 1992 to 1998, Men Behaving Badly pulled in audiences of close to 14 million viewers, making the characters of Gary, Tony, Dorothy and Deborah household names. Men could indulge vicariously in a new media-driven subculture of laddism, while female viewers could join the leading ladies in ridiculing the misbehaving but largely good-natured, gross-out buffoonery of Gary and Tony. The show had run its course before the new millennium which is where, coincidentally, the stage show picks up the story.
In transitioning such shows from the box to the box office, how do creative teams play it? A straightforward impersonation of these established and recognisable characters, or a reimagining for a contemporary audience? Tonight’s show would suggest the former. Ross Carswell as Gary, Ellie Nunn as Dorothy and Tricia Adele-Turner as Deborah all turn in very believable impressions, but it is Matt Howdon who excels as Tony, his mannerisms, his voice, his haplessness all captured perfectly.
Director Joseph O’Malley describes original writer Simon Nye’s script as like a “lost episode”. Indeed, the show has all the hallmarks which made the TV series so successful, lending the production a humorous but at times slightly awkward nostalgia in light of changing social attitudes.
As the familiar theme tune fades, we find ourselves on the cusp of the new millennium, New Year’s Eve 1999 and the day before Gary and a heavily-pregnant Dorothy’s second wedding in order to inherit a substantial sum from Gary’s aunt. There is a familiar predictability about what happens as Tony – still fawning over the recently-returned Deborah – and Gary succumb to the temptations of the Crown Inn. Chaos and carnage unsurprisingly ensue. Alfie Heywood’s clever set recreates the TV show’s two main locations, the flat and the pub, with Neil Jennings giving an equally convincing impression of John Thompson’s landlord, Ken, in some show-stealing scenes. Jennings also provides some unexpected musical entertainment during the interval along with his girlfriend, Eve (Valerie Antwi).
But this is a show with a clever trick up its sleeve, a pre-recorded cameo with none other than Neil Morrissey himself, who appears from the present day via video link to warn Tony what lies in store in 2026. Nye uses this technological trick to highlight, amongst other things, Gary and Tony’s degrading objectification of women, an aspect of their behaviour which is considerably less palatable a quarter of a century on. It is a rare and welcome moment of social commentary on attitudes to women amidst all the bad behaviour on display, yet for all their crass and ludicrous antics, their actions are somewhat redeemed when set against a context of numerous high-profile men behaving abominably in the real world of 2026.
Nye’s motivation in bringing Men Behaving Badly back to life was to “…create a proper evening’s spectacle whilst capturing the essence of the half-hour TV episodes.” To that end, this production strikes a nostalgic chord with those of us who are middle-aged enough to remember the original. Beyond that demographic niche, it is hard to gauge who else this show is for, lacking as it does the more widespread appeal of Friends and Only Fools, whilst potentially excluding more junior and senior members of the audience. But if you loved the original and fancy a final episode with these familiar faces, this is the show for you.
★★★☆☆ Tony Clarke, 5 February 2026
Photography credit: Alex Tabrizi
