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The Green, Green Grass of Home: Mr Jones An Aberfan Story - Finborough Theatre

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A life of hope and promise, interrupted, lies at the heart of Mr Jones: an Aberfan Story. The play follows two young people in Aberfan before and after the disaster that killed 144 people, including 116 children. It’s an emotional coming-of-age tale of intersecting lives, family, love, and the shock of tragedy. With two vivid performances and strong characterisations, you feel immersed in 1960s Welsh small-town life. It’s now running at the Finborough Theatre , after performances at the Edinburgh Festival and across Wales.  The Aberfan disaster is well known in the UK but perhaps less so elsewhere. The facts of the tragedy are confined to the programme notes rather than in the piece. On 21 October 1966, the catastrophic collapse of a colliery spoil tip on a mountain above Aberfan engulfed a local school, killing many. The play avoids the causes and negligence, instead focusing on those working and building lives in the town.  Writer-performer Liam Holmes plays Stephen Jones, a...

Dad Jokes: Dead Dad Dog @finborough


So what happens if your dad returns from the dead to haunt you for fun in mid-eighties Edinburgh? The first London production of Dead Dad Dog in 35 years shows that new ideas of the past just become the old things of the present. It’s an amusing concept made enjoyable by the likeable leads in the piece. Written by John McKay, who would go on to find fame in television and film, it’s currently playing at the Finborough Theatre. 

Due to cast illness, the second half of this show, Sunny Boy, has not gone ahead. It’s a shame, as the second half was a sequel to the piece set in Glasgow in 2023. And so, while we miss the update, we can enjoy the eighties in all its glory and marvel at the fashion, thinking, and the fascinating possibility that if you died in the early seventies, you would never know who Margaret Thatcher was. 


The premise is that young man Eck (Angus Miller) is getting ready for an interview for the BBC in Edinburgh when his father, Willie (Liam Brennan), appears. The only problem is that he’s been dead for years. And he’s not a ghost, either. Everyone can see him, and some unknown force field ensures they are kept within a few feet of each other. And so there they are, stuck with each other as he goes to an interview, goes on a date and tries to have a bath. 

Part of the appeal to the piece is that while most sons probably don’t hate their fathers, they are probably not keen on spending much time around them, either. Whether it’s due to the clothes they wear, what they drink, think or joke about, it’s all from another time and place. 

Miller and Brennan have fun with the premise, making it fascinating and fun to watch. They also play off the audience if you give them the opportunity, so be careful if you stand out for any reason.

Directed by Liz Carruthers, Dead Dad Dog continues at the Finborough Theatre until 28 October. It then has a short run at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh in November. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Photos: production photos



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