The Department of Ulterior Motives (DUM), based in Brighton, brought their debut show to Brighton Fringe last month.
A stage reworking of GK Chesterton’s novel, this absurdist piece was filmed live at the Brighton Open Air Theatre, capturing the anarchic spirit and sense of adventure the team possess.
The story concerns a group of anarchists, all assuming false names based on the days of the week, a potential assassination, and a case of subterfuge.
Working in whiteface make-up, the show looks back at the influence of both Commedia dell’arte and Greek tragedy. It’s a lively and diverting show, adapting the novel just enough to let in a woman and a Scotsman with a mad beard.
It’s the kind of show that keeps you guessing as it moves at a breakneck pace. The show also ran at the Rotunda, which must have offered a different experience, but its lack of sensibility seems to fit an outdoor location.
Michael Grant plays Symes, Chesterton’s undercover interloper, and here, the Scot with delusions of grandeur who seeks to become leader. It’s a very funny, manic turn.
Esther Dracott’s Gregory is a well-spoken, vegan poet, who displays an inner core of steel and authority. She is the obvious ‘Thursday’ and more than a little suggestive of Theresa May.
As well as playing the anarchists, the remaining actors swapped identities throughout this busy hour, and it was often hard to keep up with who’s who.
However, all the cast – Zarrina Denava, Maria Evans, Oliver Russell, Mickey Knighton, Andrew Bird and Bill Griffiths – were first-rate in keeping up with the vast array of changes going on.
It’s a joyous romp and a hugely amusing farce. I doubt we have seen the last of DUM on the theatre fringe!
The Man Who Was Thursday played in May 2025 at the Brighton Fringe. For future plans, follow the company Instagram.
I’m giving this a respectable 3.5 stars.