Snatch meets Hot Fuzz, but through a female lens.
London’s Fringe scene can sometimes take a tiny room and transmit pure chaos to the audience. Doughnut Drive, part of the Drayton Arms Theatre’s November programme, delivers exactly that energy: fast, messy, hilarious, dark, and utterly Essex-flavoured crime-comedy.
Written and directed by Finella Waddilove, the play follows two close friends – Bex and Yaz – who suddenly find themselves trapped in a chain of truly terrible decisions.
It fuses black humour with crime-thriller tension into an intense 60-minute ride.
One mistake, one body, and a box of doughnuts: The moment chaos begins
Bex’s dad died last year, and the grieving process hasn’t gone quite as expected.
She’s now running his car dealership, Martin’s Motors – ironically while still under a driving ban.
With just one day left on the ban, Bex listens to the unhelpful voice in her head and makes a seriously “muggy” choice:
Someone might be dead. And maybe she really did kill them.
Finding herself in rapidly escalating trouble, Bex turns to her best mate Yaz.
Will Yaz’s film-club obsession, doughnut addiction, and theoretical cinema knowledge suddenly turn her into an accomplice?
That’s where all the play’s humour and tension ignite.
A crime-comedy about female friendship, mental breakdowns, and self-sabotage
Doughnut Drive is far more than just a “crime caper.” Its depth emerges from the themes scattered through the black humour:
- Grief and loss
- The impact of depression on behaviour
- Self-sabotaging decisions
- Female solidarity and the limits of friendship
- Adults who choose escape over growing up
Kneaded with Essex wit, the characters are both absurd and painfully real.
Finella Waddilove’s direction: The fine line between silence, tension, and comedy
Waddilove’s previous work (Bricks, The Blair Bitch Project) is known for minimalism, slowly building tension, and careful use of sound.
Critics call her a director who “uses silence boldly.”
The same approach is palpable in Doughnut Drive:
Tension doesn’t explode all at once – it grows step by step, quietly and disturbingly.
Previous praise from critics raises expectations for this new production
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “A triumph of tension and craft.” — London Pub Theatres
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Superb writing. Perfect performances.” — My View From The Stalls
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Honest, funny, moving.” — All That Dazzles
Expectations are high – especially given how rare female-centred crime stories still are on stage.
Event Details
- Venue: Drayton Arms Theatre, 153 Old Brompton Road, SW5 0LJ
- Dates: 25–29 November 2025
- Times: Alternating 19:00 or 21:00 performances
- Duration: 60 minutes
- Age guidance: 15+
