Absurdist comedy in which a single scene of a customer ordering a drink from a waiter spirals out of control, directed by Tim Etchells.
L'Addition plays Cambridge Junction on Tuesday 20 and Wednesday 21 October, both nights starting at 7:30 PM. It's a comedy theatre piece from Tim Etchells, Forced Entertainment and the performance duo Bert & Nasi, with Etchells directing.
The whole thing grows from a single, ordinary scene: a customer ordering a drink from a waiter. That's it. But the scene is played again and again, and each time it spirals further out of control as the roles of waiter and customer flip back and forth. It's a simple premise that ends up in a very different place, and it runs for 70 minutes with no interval. It's recommended for ages 12 and over.
There's some history behind it, too. L'Addition is the English version of a French production commissioned by the Festival d'Avignon in 2023, created by Forced Entertainment artistic director Tim Etchells with Bert and Nasi and first staged at Scène nationale de Belfort. It's toured stages across the globe since then, and the Cambridge Independent described it as "surprisingly full of all the feels."
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The reviews have been pretty consistent on the tone. The New York Times called it "very weird and extremely funny," The Guardian called it a "superbly absurd comedy," and Télérama compared Bert and Nasi to Monty Python. If you're into that kind of thing — the sort of comedy that takes a small, recognisable moment and stretches it until it breaks — this should be right up your street.
It's playing in J2 at the Junction, which is unreserved seating, so you'll want to get there a bit early if you've got a preference for where you sit. Tickets are £18.50, £13 for students, and £7.50 for Troop members, with no booking fees for members. Both nights start at 7:30 PM.
