Cul-de-Sac – Fake Escape / Omnibus Theatre, London

David Shopland’s Cul-de-Sac at the Omnibus Theatre is a sharply observed suburban drama with comic bite and emotional generosity, exploring the midlife crossroads with wit, warmth, and just the right amount of chaos.

Cul-de-Sac at the Omnibus Theatre: A Comedy with a Dramatic Heart

After seeing a string of solo shows recently (like this, this and this) I was ready for something a little different. Cul-de-Sac offered that: a full-cast comedy with a dramatic heart (or is it a drama with a comic heart?) and a runtime that rivals the National Theatre. Clocking in at around three hours including interval, this suburban sprawl of a play explores the slow-burning crises of middle age: self-doubt, identity, and the elusive goal of becoming your “authentic self.” Whatever that might mean in Zone 6…

The concept is simple. We’re in Frank (Ellis J. Wells) and Ruth’s (Shereen Roushbaiani) living room. They’ve lived on a suburban cul-de-sac for three years now, although details of their past are initially murky. Neighbours Marie (Lucy Farrett) and Simon (Callum Patrick Hughes) each drop by, and from these recognisable beginnings, a narrative unfolds. Writer-Director David Shopland gives his characters time to breathe, and that generosity pays off. Despite their exaggerated awkwardness – Marie’s deflections, Simon’s anxious earnestness, Ruth’s brittle resolve, Frank’s distracted self-interest – there’s depth and warmth beneath the surface. You grow to like them. You root for them. For all its satire, the play manages something moving. It almost (but not quite) made me want to move to a cul-de-sac myself.

The action, as I mentioned, is contained in one room: Ruth and Frank’s lived-in lounge, neatly realised in a set also designed by Shopland. And that domestic frame heightens the sense of emotional claustrophobia. What starts as a low-key (if boozy) evening quickly unravels, with truths emerging through laughter, misunderstandings and arguments alike. Exceptional performances across the board keep it emotionally grounded, even as the chaos builds.

Unraveling Civility in the Middle of Nowhere

What Cul-de-Sac really offers is a slow reveal: a collective unburdening of trauma, a longing for fulfilment, and the quiet loneliness that lurks behind polite suburbia. Set in Northwood Hills (“The Middle of Nowhere” in outer London) it tackles cultural identity, stalling careers, and the frictions of long-term relationships. We’re all strangers, it suggests, even to the people we think we know best.

The arrival of a surprise guest, Hamza (played with real spark by Behkam Salehani), jolts the narrative out of its mostly white, middle-class rhythm and raises questions of belonging, race, Islamophobia, and faith. It’s a brief but important expansion of perspective in a story otherwise tightly focused on its central four. What could have felt forced adds real depth to the play, partly thanks to Salehani’s charismatic and compelling delivery.

There’s a short essay in the programme by Shopland about the difficulty of writing characters that transcend, and here he delivers on that goal. While the play never fully escapes its naturalistic setting, its characters do rise beyond it. They feel fully formed. And that, ultimately, is the production’s greatest achievement.

The Salterton Arts Review loves theatre, but also an early bedtime. So a shorter running time would not have gone amiss. Still, this richly performed, emotionally generous piece is well worth your time. A strong recommendation, with or without a Zone 6 postcode.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 4/5

Cul-de-Sac on until 14 June 2025. More info and tickets here.