Credit : Holly Revell
This one arrived in me satchel with a bit of swagger, like it already knew it were a hit. And fair enough — Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates x) is back by popular demand, marching straight into the main space at Soho Theatre this summer.
After sold-out runs nationwide, a critically acclaimed Fringe debut, and a triumphant January return, the show heads back to Soho Theatre’s Main House from Friday 12 June to Friday 3 July, with a Gala Night on Tuesday 16 June at 7pm. That’s a proper London homecoming, that.
Before landing back on Dean Street, the show will have been clocking up air miles and applause — playing in Jade Frank’s hometown at Liverpool Everyman, stopping off at Bristol Old Vic, and heading even further afield as part of the Adelaide Fringe. Not bad for a show that pulls no punches about class, privilege, and who really gets left holding the bill.
Writer and performer Jade Franks put it plainly:
“Buzzin to be coming back to the bigger space in the summer after our UK tour! It looks like I’ll be performing this play till the class war’s won.”
I admire the optimism. And the stamina.
Described as a “culture shock” by The New York Times, the show has racked up multiple five-star reviews and been dubbed “the new Fleabag” by The Times — though The Independent was quick to note that this voice is unmistakably its own. Along the way, it’s picked up major awards, including the Filipa Bragança Award for Best Solo Performance by a Female or Non-Binary Artist, and the Holden Street Theatres Award, which brings with it a coveted opportunity to perform in Adelaide, Australia.
At its heart, Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates x) is a sharp, funny, and fearless look at class, ambition, and what it costs to get ahead in a system that’s never been evenly stacked. It follows a bright, working-class Liverpudlian student who earns a place at Cambridge University, only to secretly take a job as a cleaner to make ends meet — a risky double life that could unravel everything if discovered. It’s a constant tightrope walk between ambition, shame, and survival, inspired by lived experience and delivered with bite.
The show comes from double Olivier Award-nominated JFR Productions, whose previous work includes For Black Boys Who Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy and Blue Mist. Directed by Tatenda Shamiso, the production sits comfortably alongside shows like Sex Education and Big Boys, with the satirical edge of Chewing Gum and a very clear point of view.
Developed with support from Boundless Theatre, The Royal Court, The Everyman Playhouse, The Unity Theatre, and The Seven Dials Playhouse, the creative team first crossed paths while working at the Royal Court across education and artistic departments — a reminder that some of the most exciting theatre conversations start behind the scenes.
I tucked this one back into me satchel thinking: it’s bold, it’s funny, and it knows exactly who it’s talking to. Soho Theatre’s main space feels like the right room for it. Loud enough. Close enough. And definitely not polite.
Dates
12–31 January 2026
Soho Theatre Upstairs,
21 Dean Street, London W1D 3NE
16–18 April 2026
Liverpool Everyman,
5–11 Hope Street, Liverpool L1 9BH
Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates x) – Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse Theatres
28 April – 2 May 2026
Bristol Old Vic,
King Street, Bristol BS1 4ED
Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates x) | Bristol Old Vic
12 June – 3 July 2026
Soho Theatre Main House,
21 Dean Street, London W1D 3NE
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