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Party
M4 F2. A garden shed. Fee code F. In a humble garden shed in deepest Suburbia, four young idealists have decided to form a new political party to save the world from itself. The new fifth member, Duncan, sets about saving the world from them. "Party" is a comic play about small minds tackling big issues - China, sex trafficking, cycle lanes, unfair trade coffee, whether to call the party 'The Friendly Party' or 'Gladios'. And when, exactly, they should break to eat a cake. Tom Basden's hilarious, critically-acclaimed comedy was seen at the Edinburgh Festival in 2009 and the Arts Theatre, London, in 2010. Tom Basden's astonishingly well written and incredibly funny debut play about four idealists deciding to form a new political party comes to the West End ..."It's by turns hilarious and incisive, poignant and tragic. Don't miss this ..." ("Time Out").
- GenresPlays
50 pages, Paperback
Published January 20, 2011
14 people want to read
About the author
Tom Basden
19 books6 followersTom Basden (b. England, 1980) is a British actor and comedy writer, and a member of the British four man sketch group Cowards. He has written and performed extensively for comedy shows on the BBC and Channel 4 and often collaborates in two-man shows with fellow Cowards member Tim Key.
Basden was educated at King's College School, an independent school for boys in Wimbledon in South West London (in the same year group as actors Khalid Abdalla and Ben Barnes), followed by Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge. He was vice president of the Footlights and his contemporaries included Stefan Golaszewski, Sarah Solemani, Tim Key and Dan Stevens.
Basden's one man show at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Tom Basden Won't Say Anything won the if.comedy award for Best Newcomer. He also starred with Tim Key in the short film The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, which won the UK Film Council Kodak Award for Best British Short Film.
Basden replaced Tim Minchin as the resident musician for the second series of Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better where he appears along with Tim Key and Mark Watson.
He was a guest panellist on the BBC Two programme "Never Mind The Buzzcocks" on Wednesday, 4 November 2009.
In 2011 he wrote There Is A War starring himself and Phoebe Fox for the National Theatre's Double Feature.
In 2012, he appeared as musical side-kick to Key in his Radio 4 programme Tim Key's Late Night Poetry.
From 2010 to 2012 Basden has written and starred in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Party. It also stars Key, Jonny Sweet, Anna Crilly and Katy Wix and has just finished its third series.
Basden was educated at King's College School, an independent school for boys in Wimbledon in South West London (in the same year group as actors Khalid Abdalla and Ben Barnes), followed by Pembroke College at the University of Cambridge. He was vice president of the Footlights and his contemporaries included Stefan Golaszewski, Sarah Solemani, Tim Key and Dan Stevens.
Basden's one man show at the 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Tom Basden Won't Say Anything won the if.comedy award for Best Newcomer. He also starred with Tim Key in the short film The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island, which won the UK Film Council Kodak Award for Best British Short Film.
Basden replaced Tim Minchin as the resident musician for the second series of Mark Watson Makes the World Substantially Better where he appears along with Tim Key and Mark Watson.
He was a guest panellist on the BBC Two programme "Never Mind The Buzzcocks" on Wednesday, 4 November 2009.
In 2011 he wrote There Is A War starring himself and Phoebe Fox for the National Theatre's Double Feature.
In 2012, he appeared as musical side-kick to Key in his Radio 4 programme Tim Key's Late Night Poetry.
From 2010 to 2012 Basden has written and starred in the BBC Radio 4 sitcom Party. It also stars Key, Jonny Sweet, Anna Crilly and Katy Wix and has just finished its third series.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 16, 2019
Four stars for likely stage effect.
Five losers set about forming a political party in a shed. You don't really need to know more than that. The bickering and silly jostling for power is funny in itself, but in combination with the fact that four of the five characters are motivated by forming a political party and the fifth thinks he was invited to a social occasion, feels totally bewildered and wants desperately to have some cake creates a neat comic tension.
Any play in which 'sad cases' spend time trying to formulate policies about Holland, choosing a party colour and slogan, and discussing whether or not the coffee is fairtrade at the same time as making no decisions at all before electing the 'wrong' leader is going to carry comic weight. It also reads at a bantery, breakneck speed in only one act of intense quickfire dialogue, so you're almost sure to have a good time.
Five losers set about forming a political party in a shed. You don't really need to know more than that. The bickering and silly jostling for power is funny in itself, but in combination with the fact that four of the five characters are motivated by forming a political party and the fifth thinks he was invited to a social occasion, feels totally bewildered and wants desperately to have some cake creates a neat comic tension.
Any play in which 'sad cases' spend time trying to formulate policies about Holland, choosing a party colour and slogan, and discussing whether or not the coffee is fairtrade at the same time as making no decisions at all before electing the 'wrong' leader is going to carry comic weight. It also reads at a bantery, breakneck speed in only one act of intense quickfire dialogue, so you're almost sure to have a good time.
Displaying 1 of 1 review