'Hold on to your neck ties, boys. Charley's aunt is here!'

Scheming students Charley and Jack must somehow navigate the curmudgeonly Spettigue in order to declare their feelings to love interests Amy and Kitty. The promised arrival of Charley's immensely rich aunt gives them their opportunity – but the course of true love never did run straight or smooth...

Mistaken identities, false identities, the discovery of true identities: will love – old and new – triumph through it all?

Brandon Thomas's celebrated farce Charley's Aunt, fantastically successful when first performed in 1892, is brought bang up to date in Rob Madge's riotous and glamorous adaptation. It opened at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, in 2025, directed by Sophie Drake.

'The frump turns fabulous... [Brandon Thomas's] redoubtable Victorian farce [has been] renovated with affectionate cheek by Rob Madge... it's a scrappy but very fun take on the tale of dowager dress-up and scheming lovebirds... Madge often doesn't so much adapt as heckle the original, cheerfully scattering quips, filth and people getting the ick... fresh, smart and racy' — Guardian

'Irresistible... what a joyous makeover it is!... glorious' — WhatsOnStage

'Pitch-perfect... an update as astute as it is affectionate... bursting with energy and endless reinvention... Madge's firecracker comic styling... beautifully calibrated... it's not just funny, it's also terribly affecting' — The Stage

'A clever and relevant adaptation... As important and timely as it is charming and funny, it's a perfect example of what breathing new life into much-loved classics can achieve' — West End Best Friend

'A pacey, joyful reinvention... with wit, warmth and a contemporary sensibility that feels both bold and necessary (and fun)... what elevates this beyond mere entertainment is how Madge's adaptation makes Victorian social constraints speak to contemporary debates about identity, freedom and acceptance... proves this Victorian farce has never been more relevant... pure joy' — Broadway World

'Everything you could want from an updated classic with a twist' — Stage Talk Magazine

'A joyous new adaptation... manages to recycle and repurpose a brilliant farce, bring it bang up to date and make it as relevant to our society as it was to the Victorians... an absolute hoot' — The Spy in the Stalls