Crush

Crush comes to the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse on Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October, a British-Somali romantic comedy written by Hadsan Mohamud and produced by Stuff and Nonsense Theatre Company. It's part of the Playhouse's autumn programme of new touring shows.

The story opens in a clinic waiting room, where Najma, who's been in treatment for years, meets Zakariya, who's just starting out. From there, the two begin to swap sketches, poems, jokes and secrets, and the play follows them as they navigate identity, connection and the messy path to healing. It's a small, focused setup—two people in a waiting room—that lets the conversation do the heavy lifting.

There are a couple of things that set it apart from your usual night at the theatre. First, it plays to a live soundtrack of indie classics, so the music is as much a part of the atmosphere as the dialogue. Second, it's a British-Somali story, and the romantic comedy framing keeps it grounded even when it's touching on the harder stuff. It also earned a place on the Tony Craze Award 2025 longlist, which gives you a sense of where it sits.

As for the venue, the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse is the intimate, versatile space inside The Crucible. It's where the theatre hosts fringe discoveries, local heroes and bold new writing, and it's completely transformed for every show, so it never looks the same way twice. This is one of those touring productions that fits the room well. Crush runs Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October at the Playhouse, part of the autumn line-up of touring shows coming to Sheffield.