The Unfriend

by Steven Moffat

Peter and Debbie are enjoying a cruise – a celebration of twenty years of marriage, and a break from their annoying teenagers. They befriend fellow passenger, Elsa Jean Krakowski, an eccentric American with a fondness for Donald Trump. There's something slightly unsettling in her overeager friendliness... but there's no point rocking the boat if you're about to get off it.

Back home, in the comfort of suburbia, Elsa suddenly turns up on Peter and Debbie's doorstep, unexpectedly. And when they look up their house guest online, unearthing some hair-raising evidence, their good nature is challenged as never before. What kind of danger have they allowed to take up residence in their guest room? And can they bring themselves to say anything about it? Sometimes, the truth is just too impolite.

Steven Moffat's play The Unfriend takes a hilarious and satirical look at middle-class England's disastrous instinct always to appear nice. It was first performed at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in May 2022, directed by Mark Gatiss, with a cast including Amanda Abbington, Frances Barber and Reece Shearsmith.

Genres: Plays

106 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 26, 2022

About the author

Steven Moffat is a Scottish television writer and producer.

Moffat's first television work was the teen drama series Press Gang. His first sitcom, Joking Apart, was inspired by the breakdown of his first marriage; conversely, his later sitcom Coupling was based upon the development of his relationship with television producer Sue Vertue. In between the two relationship-centred shows, he wrote Chalk, a sitcom set in a comprehensive school inspired by his own experience as an English teacher.

A lifelong fan of Doctor Who, Moffat has written several episodes of the revived version and succeeded Russell T Davies as lead writer and executive producer when production of its fifth series began in 2009. In 2008 he scripted the first The Adventures of Tintin film for director Steven Spielberg. He co-created Sherlock, an adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes detective stories.

Many of the programmes upon which he has worked have won awards, including BAFTAs and Hugo Awards for some of his episodes of Doctor Who.

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5, rounded down.

I really only know Moffat from his previous work on the Brit TV show 'Coupling', which was something of a more intelligent UK iteration of 'Friends' some 2 decades ago - but frequently hilarious. This, which premiered at Chichester in 2020, and has been revised for a current West End run, is his first comedy in a LONG while - and it's fairly creaky. The premise is promising, but it goes exactly where you expect and there are literally no surprises ... and worse, few laughs in the text.

From the decidedly mixed reviews, the premiere players do a bang-up job of making caviar outta tinned tuna, so it evidently 'plays'. But they frequently have to play awkward scenes that bear little to no resemblance to how people react IRL - especially the treacly reconciliation scenes between parents and children.

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/202...
https://www.timeout.com/london/theatr...

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

[2.75 stars]

My friend sent me a translation he did for his theatre group, and while the translation was good, the material itself is flat and feels overdone. The jokes land and the aim is clear, but I never felt surprised or delighted by a fresh idea while reading it. However, I am confident a lot of people will really love it once it's presented on a stage.

[Matthew Harper · Rating 2 out of 5]

A predictably flat piece of drama. The only surprise came at the end, and I was too bored at this point to really care.

[Diba Tano · Rating 4 out of 5]

FOMO :(

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steven Moffat is back writing comedy like he never left (which, let’s be honest, he never really did). The Unfriend is a dizzying farce on middle-class politeness and the limits of civility, where two of the tightest wound characters Moffat has ever created go head-to-head with a loud, comically-friendly Trump-lover (not to mention a possible [redacted for spoilers]) - only to be constantly undone by themselves and their own passive temperament.

There’s some tricksy topics at play here, but they’re largely in service of the screwball comedy which escalates beyond control in the second Act. I’d love to see the more savvy sociologists out there pore over the themes, though I suspect they’ll find each one wriggles out of their grasp - a futile trail leading all the way to a befuddled Policeman and what is surely one of Theatre’s most excruciating toilet scenes. Bottom line: if your play-script makes me laugh out loud, you’ve got a winner on your hands, and The Unfriend hit that mark over and over again. Oh, to see it live…

[Isla Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting idea for a story. Its got some good twists and its amusing at points, in a dark comedy kind of a way of course. Its a short and easy read I enjoyed somewhat, so yes I guess I would recommend it.

[Richard Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

So well written and crafted, I could hear the characters voices so clearly in my head.

[Ian McNair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the funniest plays I’ve read in a long time. Each character is beautifully written. A joy to read and I’d love to see it on stage. Excellent.

[Damian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Divertidísima obra teatral con un pequeño misterio que enciende la acción llenándola del humor absurdo que tanto me gusta. Una maravilla de Steven Moffat que ojalá haber visto en las tablas…

[Rob Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

I watched this last year. Script is funnier than I remember but still feel like act 2 is one big poo joke, which lets it down a bit.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonable enough, but not very deep and rather underdeveloped. I thought there were some off-colour moments (Elsa making fun of fat people, the fart jokes, and literal toilet humour).

[Danica · Rating 5 out of 5]

very quick and easy read, also quite funny. would love to see it performed

[anna]

laughed out loud at the toilet gag

[Amy Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not every line hit, but I still laughed my socks off.
Sits nicely next to the Inside Man. Middle class and Murder, or smth.