Based on the classic Gustave Flaubert novel, the irreverent adaption is presented by Ha Hum Ah Productions and The Minack
5th December – 11th January | PRESS NIGHT: Monday 9th December, 7.30pm
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The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary has been announced as the Christmas show at Southwark Playhouse Borough, running from 5th December to 11th January. The classic Flaubert novel about a woman struggling with the patriarchy – scandalous at time of publishing in 1856 – receives a comic, fast-paced adaptation with a cast of four all playing multiple roles. Presented by Ha Hum Ah Productions and the Minack Theatre, the production was previously staged at the Minack Theatre and on national tour.
Emma Bovary is bored. She’s bored with her boring doctor husband, bored with her boring provincial village and bored with her role as a dutiful wife in (boring) nineteenth-century France. But Emma reads novels. Lots of novels. And in novels, life is much more fun… Now, watch four actors battle hilarious mishaps and misbehaving props to tell the (massively) tragic story of Madame Bovary. There will be vermin, visual absurdity, wild animals and a nun.
Producer Ben Kernow said, “We developed The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovaryamidst the stunning, sometimes sunny cliffs of Cornwall at the Minack Theatre, and are thrilled to be bringing the show to Southwark Playhouse Borough this Christmas season. It’s an anarchic, fast-paced, and lovingly derailed adaptation of Gustave Flaubert’s classic novel; despite the inherently tragic nature of the source material, John Nicholson’s adaptation brilliantly extrapolates every ounce of humor from it. It has been a joy to witness the connection people feel to the show on tour, and can’t wait to bring it to London.”
Ha Hum Ah is an award-winning Cornwall based theatre and film production company who create innovative, ambitious and accessible stories that stimulate the imagination. Ha Hum Ah Theatre was established in 2018 to offer the support and framework for artists to produce their own work with the aid and collaboration of others. The company was formed in response to support artists with the daunting prospects and challenges with producing and staging their own work. Ha Hum Ah Theatre was formed to act as a co-operative theatre company where actors, director, writers and creatives of all backgrounds could work together in realising and harnessing each other’s creativity. In 2021 Ha Hum Ah expanded into the world of film with the creation of Ha Hum Ah Films, and in 2023 the theatre and film arms combined to form Ha Hum Ah Productions CIC.

Southwark Playhouse is a registered charity that delivers a year-round programme of entertaining and enriching work. Southwark Playhouse operates two separate venues ‘Southwark Playhouse Borough’ and its newest theatre ‘Southwark Playhouse Elephant’ which opened in January 2023. Southwark Playhouse has always prided itself in telling stories and inspiring the next generation of storytellers and theatre makers, where support for the community has been rooted at the core of the organisation.