Features

Watch Bristol Old Vic’s THE GRINNING MAN now!

A musical with ‘the best British score in years’ (Whats On Stage), The Grinning Man is a ‘weird and wonderful, dark delight’ (Mail) that is not to be missed. Free for one week only on YouTube, catch it before the fairground leaves…

A strange new act has arrived at the fairground. Who is Grinpayne and how did he get his hideous smile? Helped by an old man, a lone wolf and a blind girl, his story must be told. The epic tale of an abandoned child with a terrible secret. A disfigured youth who is desperate to hide and a sightless girl who longs to be discovered. Let the darkness seduce you.

Following a triumphant premiere as part of our 250th Anniversary season, and its acclaimed run at Trafalgar Studios in London’s West End, we are delighted that The Grinning Man has returned, and this time we are bringing the fairground straight to your house. Based on “The Man Who Laughs” by Victor Hugo and brought to life by director Tom Morris (Touching the Void) and writer Carl Grose (Dead Dog in a Suitcase), don’t miss this digital revival, captured during its original Bristol run by TVPP, and featuring a sensational original score by Tim Phillips and Marc Teitler and puppetry from Gyre & Gimble – the original puppeteers of War Horse!

It is streaming for free from Sat 27 June and available for a week afterwards, until Saturday 4 June. Running time is 2 hour 31 mins (inc. very short interval), and age guidance is 12+

Watch the rare sneaky capture of the Bristolian version of The Grinning Man now:

To support Bristol Old Vic: https://bristololdvic.org.uk/donate

Gabi Bergman

Gabi Bergman (she/her) is a Melbourne-based performer and educator, and the current Deputy Editor-in-Chief of AussieTheatre.com. She holds a double degree in Theatre Studies and Film/Screen Studies, along with a Master of Teaching (Secondary Education). A passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity in the arts, Gabi brings her deep love of storytelling to the stage, the page, and the classroom. A lifelong lover of theatre, she spends more on tickets than she’d like to admit. Her most prized possession is her ever-growing collection of theatre programs.