The Comeback (NHB Modern Plays)

Up-and-coming comics Alex and Ben have been booked in the warm-up spot for a beloved but fading double act's comeback tour. Neither is delighted to be playing to a sparse crowd in a sleepy, seaside town - but when it's revealed that a Hollywood director is in the audience, both acts glimpse a final chance for their big break. Cue sabotage, mistaken identity and full-on farcical mayhem, as the performance descends into a desperate battle for the limelight. With the action alternating between offstage and on, and the tone between Noises Off and Morecambe and Wise's old-school charm, The Comeback is a heart-warming exploration of bittersweet nostalgia and the enduring power of friendship. It is the joyful and dazzlingly funny debut play by The Pin's award-winning Ben Ashenden and Alex Owen - 'destined to become one of the great comedy duos' (Radio Times). It opened at the West End's Noel Coward Theatre in December 2020.