The Unfriend. Caxton Theatre, Grimsby. 18 July 2026.

The Caxton Players have chosen an excellent comedy to fill the current slot at the Caxton Theatre - Steven Moffat's The Unfriend. Moffat is best known for his television work as the writer and showrunner of both Doctor Who and Sherlock, but this play demonstrates that he is just as happy producing a modern farce for the stage. Audiences will love the silliness and high comedy on display in Director Stuart Stretton's production of the play.

Peter and Debbie Lindel live on a west London street, they are a couple for whom manners are everything. No stone remains unturned in an effort to avoid offending those with whom they come into contact. When they meet the lugubrious American widow, Elsa Jean Krakowski on a cruise, they are incapable of refusing to pass over their contact details, and Elsa Jean invites herself to stay with the couple and their two children when they return to London. Alex and Rosie are somewhat stereotypical grumpy teenagers and the friction between parent and child grates initially, but there is development as the play progresses. We also meet the Lindel's rather fussy, overbearing neighbour who seems utterly unable to say anything significant enough to lodge in Peter's memory, often to very comical effect.

And then there is Elsa Jean, an absolute force of nature spiralling through the lives of others with aplomb, oblivious to feelings and no respecter of boundaries, she says what she sees and hang the consequences. Peter in an effort to explain his feelings to Debbie, declares that he could find an "Unfriend Button" like on Facebook and delete Elsa Jean from their lives. And that is before they discover who Elsa Jean REALLY is according to the US media. Elsa isn’t just a burden. She may also be a murderer, if the internet rumours are to be believed. But being polite and well-mannered creates a natural block for the couple as they seek to protect themselves and their family from someone who may just be a serial killer. Writer Moffatt seeks to explore the idea of what "good" people will put up with in the name of propriety. The decline of standards occurs incrementally; unstoppable increments that lead to you welcoming a potential killer into your home, with ne'er a bad word said to the unwelcome guest.

Director Stretton maintains excellent pace throughout the play, barely allowing time for the audience to catch their breath as Hurricane Elsa Jean sweeps through at speed decimating all before her. If the play has a moral, it is that it is all too easy to get swept along by life's unexpected turns, if you are not given the time to pause. The cast provide some deft touches not dictated purely by the text of the play, as knowing glances are exchanged and looks of incredulity and some very well-observed body language is shared throughout. There are also some really neat visual touches as the play progresses too that audiences should keep an eye out for. One or two will have you in hysterics.

Dean Wright is deliciously awkward almost from the very beginning, as he is manipulated by Elsa Jean, Wright's twitches and shrugs add so much to the words on the page for Peter Lindel. He is a credible father figure for two bored and restless teenagers and yet still displays warmth and devotion to his family. Nevertheless, his increasing mania brings in its train dire consequences and Wright's display of comic timing is superb.

His wife, the eminently sensible Debbie, is clearly the one who grounds the family as she is better able to cope with life's unexpected problems and Vivienne Sargent brings warmth and common sense to the role. Tough even Debbie is driven to despair increasingly as the plots thunders onwards. Again, it is the desire to seem well-mannered that provides so much of the comedy in Sargent's performance and a level of control in reaction, that could easily be overplayed by lesser performers.

Ian Hammond is wry, dry and wonderfully picky as the neighbour mostly concerned with fleecing the Lindels into paying for a wall repair that is clearly his problem, not theirs. Hammond delivery as the incessant nattering busybody is terrific and audiences will love his characterisation. He gives a wonderfully animated performance making much from very little.

The Lindel children Alex and Rosie are played by Alfie Parrot and Allysa Deaton, are warren to annoy the audience - from Alex's droning cry to his mother, to Rosie's petulant foot stomping, and storming off. Parrot hits exactly the right note with his droning cry on "Muuuuuuuuum" and I defy any audience member not to get fed up of it. In Act Two we see a softer side to both characters and that is where Deaton really comes to life and become a much more likeable character.

In a brief but very funny cameo performance, we meet PC Junkin, portrayed by Adam Stevenson and I will leave it to you to watch how his story plays out rather than giving the game away here. Suffice to say he is integral to one of the funniest moments in the show.

The absolute star of the show however is Louise Blakey who chews the scenery and steal every scene with gusto and so much energy in her performance of Elsa Jean Krakowski. She is the obnoxious, boastful, fast-talking busy body American, that we Brits love to hate. She keeps the pace flying throughout and her nasal accent is both endearing and disturbing in equal measure. With her gaudy make-up and overly loud personality, Blakey provides us with one of the greatest comic characters in recent Caxton memory. That is no mean feat. and though she doesn't deliver the line herself, she is the perfect "Murder Poppins".

The set is naturalistic and functional, retaining the action in a single downstairs location for almost the entire play, though the opening scene boasts an impressive backdrop that effectively reminds the audience, subliminally perhaps, that the production is sponsored by Holidays by Design. The attention to detail on set is wonderful as cupboards are full and don't merely provide an empty space for a character to pop something into it. And although we don't physically see a TV the ever present remote and the location of the family sofa makes us 10% aware of its location. A special word too for the ingenious way in which we see the documentary about Elsa Jean; Stretton's imagination and creativity is excellent.

The Unfriend runs from18 - 25 July and tickets are available online or at the box office with performances beginning each night at 7:30 pm.

Andy Evans 18 July 2026