The Olive Boy

A CRUDE, COMPELLING, COMING OF AGE COMEDY.

You're 15 years old, struggling through school and coming to terms with the early stages of adolescence. Things are tricky when you're a teenager. You get dealt yet another devastating blow. But this time, it's worse. Your mum's passed away suddenly, and you’ve now got to move in with your, until that point, absent father.

Now what?

In a hopeless attempt to stay sane, you decide to pursue a girlfriend, but, shock, that doesn’t go to plan either. Surrounded by a great deal of olives, come on the journey of grief and hope through early adulthood.

Based on Ollie Maddigan’s real life story, “The Olive Boy" is a crude but compelling comedy written and performed by Ollie Maddigan himself. Initially introduced at the Hope Theatre in 2021, the show quickly gained attention during its three-night run as part of the Camden Fringe and then in 2022 as part of its month-long sell out run at The Edinburgh Fringe. Renowned for its gripping narrative and Ollie’s remarkable onstage presence, "The Olive Boy" has received praise from both theatre-goers and critics.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“A reminder of how few frills are needed when a true talent commands the stage…A tour de force of ecstasy, emotion and grief”
Broadway Baby

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Fantastic! Ollie Madigan is one to watch”
Steve Pemberton (League of Gentlemen, Inside No.9)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Maddigan crafts a delicate balance of humour and sadness, beautifully merging the destructive blows of grief and family strife”
The Student, Review by Rosa Georgiou

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“An engaging, compelling and exceptional story”
Theatreandotherthingslondon

Hamstrung

EDINBURGH FRINGE PREVIEW

Alas, poor Yorick! Though he’s not dead...

Hamlet’s legendary fellow of infinite jest is back to dig up the bones of his misspent life in this irreverent resurrection of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy.

Join Yorick as he reconnects with his lost love of performance, embarking on a high-spirited journey to discover what really happened in Elsinore all those years ago.

Hamstrung is a ‘stirring and impactful’ tragicomic ghost story about the space between live theatre and the afterlife.

To see or not to see? There is no question…

‘Cleverly taps into the timelessness of one of Shakespeare's most famous works’ ★★★★ (fringebiscuit)

Written and performed by George Rennie
Directed by Lisa Milla
Design consultation by Damien Stanton
Sound design by Lucas Button
Lighting design by Benedict Esdale
Artwork design by Faisal Ag
Artwork photography by Luka Booth

Hamstrung will be playing at Pleasance Courtyard for Edinburgh Fringe 2024.