The Time Machine: A Comedy
Published on 7. December 2023
Book
Paperback/Softback
88 pages
978-1-83904-296-6 (ISBN)
Description
When the worlds of science-fiction and science-fact collide... extraordinary things can happen.
Dave is the great-great grandson of H.G. Wells, author of the 1895 novella The Time Machine, a book that foretold (with suspicious accuracy) the future of the human species. What if the ideas in that book weren't entirely fiction? Right now, Dave and his friends Amy and Michael must set out on a journey through time... the journey of a lifetime!
The Time Machine: A Comedy is (very loosely) adapted from H.G. Wells by Steven Canny and John Nicholson, whose previous adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles was a hit in the West End and subsequently for numerous companies worldwide. It was first produced in 2023 on a tour of the UK, before a run at Park Theatre, London, produced by Original Theatre and directed by Orla O'Loughlin.
Fast-paced and wise-cracking, this riotous retelling zips from the nineteenth century to the end of the world, and (with any luck) back again. It will suit any theatre company looking for a time-bending adaptation of a well-loved story - and a surefire audience-pleaser.
Dave is the great-great grandson of H.G. Wells, author of the 1895 novella The Time Machine, a book that foretold (with suspicious accuracy) the future of the human species. What if the ideas in that book weren't entirely fiction? Right now, Dave and his friends Amy and Michael must set out on a journey through time... the journey of a lifetime!
The Time Machine: A Comedy is (very loosely) adapted from H.G. Wells by Steven Canny and John Nicholson, whose previous adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles was a hit in the West End and subsequently for numerous companies worldwide. It was first produced in 2023 on a tour of the UK, before a run at Park Theatre, London, produced by Original Theatre and directed by Orla O'Loughlin.
Fast-paced and wise-cracking, this riotous retelling zips from the nineteenth century to the end of the world, and (with any luck) back again. It will suit any theatre company looking for a time-bending adaptation of a well-loved story - and a surefire audience-pleaser.
Reviews / Votes
'Breathtaking... gloriously silly, unrestrained fun' * The Stage * 'Exquisitely entertaining... thoroughly, ridiculously amusing' * Indiependent * 'Glorious... an amusing, witty, imaginative show hinging on actual time travel, as it pivots around a gleefully ridiculous plot twist... it ends very amusingly indeed' * Time Out * 'A rollercoaster ride through time and space' * What's On Bristol * 'Unmissable... many laugh out loud surprises... a weird and wonderful story that seems simple on the outside but has a lot of layers (each one just as funny as the last) that slowly but surely get peeled away... two hours of pure nonsense and humour... It all blends together perfectly, with plenty of energy, some hilarious Goes Wrong-style problems, and a finale that is bizarre and wonderful, yet perfectly in keeping with everything that's just gone before... If you're looking for an evening of pure silliness that sends you out into the night with a smile on your face, The Time Machine: A Comedy fits the bill' * Everything Theatre * 'Jolly good fun... part backstage farce, part Doctor Who special, underpinned by a celebratory silliness' * LondonTheatre1 * 'A real hoot... unpretentious and easy-flowing, with a lot of laughter... side-splitting and unpredictable' * Broadway World * 'Steven Canny and John Nicholson's script gleefully takes inspiration from the source material while offering us something new... delivers consistent surprises and genuine laugh out loud moments' * Theatre Weekly * 'A thorough celebration of the comedic arsenal... H.G. Wells on speed' * British Theatre Guide * 'A triumph... Steven Canny and John Nicholson have once again created a hit show, using their incredibly witty writing style to deliver a script that is fast paced, slick and easy to follow... utterly insane from beginning to end' * London Theatre Reviews * 'A wild and crazy ride... highly entertaining' * Sardines Magazine * 'A triumphant success... one of the most hilarious explorations of the theory of time travel' * The Spy in the Stalls * 'A work of some mad genius... a humorous and emotionally turbulent show with a truly brilliant script... Every moment is perfectly crafted... The writing stays true to the sentiment of Wells' novel, giving us a glimpse into how the time travelling tropes that we know and love have developed into what they are today' * Broadway Baby * 'Delightful... a must-see for the holiday season... a winning combination of outright stupidity and truly engaging storytelling' * All That Dazzles * 'If you are a fan of comedic mishaps, outrageous innuendo, Cher tribute songs and hip hop Wilde mashups, I'd suggest that time waits for no one and you'd better run to see this show' * Theatre and Tonic * 'Very clever and highly enjoyable... a play where everything that can possibly happen happens - twice' * Reviews Hub *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 128 mm
Width: 198 mm
Thickness: 11 mm
Weight
108 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83904-296-6 (9781839042966)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Steven Canny | John Nicholson
The Time Machine: A Comedy
E-Book
12/2023
Nick Hern Books
€15.49
Available for download
Persons
Steven Canny is an executive producer and writer who has spent many years making television, theatre and radio.
Theatre work includes: The Time Machine (Park Theatre and national tour); The Arthur Conan Doyle Appreciation Society (Traverse Theatre); No Wise Men (Liverpool Playhouse); Origins (Theatre Severn); Spyski (Lyric Hammersmith); The Hound of the Baskervilles (Duchess Theatre, national tour and productions all round world).
Steven was Associate Director at Complicite for five years where he made theatre across the world and then worked with Al Pacino on The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.
Television producing includes: Two Doors Down, Still Game, Mammoth, Mrs Brown's Boys, Jonathan Creek, Porridge, Bob Servant, The Tuckers, A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, Kieran Hodgson's How We Forgot to Save the Planet.
Steven also produced and directed drama and comedy for radio and adapted a number of pieces for radio including A Shropshire Lad with Simon Russell Beale, which then played at the National Theatre, and Complicite's Mnemonic for R3.
His recent shows have won BAFTA, National Television Award, Scottish BAFTA, IFTA, RTS Scotland, TV Times Award, Celtic Media & Sony Golds.
Author photo by Graeme Hunter
John Nicholson is a writer, director and performer. He is Co-Artistic Director of Peepolykus, with whom he has toured throughout the UK and worldwide since 1995.
As a writer, his work includes: King Arthur (Le Navet Bete, 2024); The Time Machine, co-written with Steven Canny (Original Theatre, 2023); Treasure Island (Le Navet Bete, 2019); Dracula: The Bloody Truth (Le Navet Bete, 2017); The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary, co-written with Javier Marzan for Peepolykus (Liverpool Everyman, 2016); and The Hound of the Baskervilles, co-written with Steven Canny for Peepolykus (West Yorkshire Playhouse, 2007).
He has also written extensively for BBC Radio, including Richard's Rampage, and the four-part series Trespasser's Guide to the Classics (2015).
As an actor, he has numerous television credits, particularly across the BBC and ITV.
Theatre work includes: The Time Machine (Park Theatre and national tour); The Arthur Conan Doyle Appreciation Society (Traverse Theatre); No Wise Men (Liverpool Playhouse); Origins (Theatre Severn); Spyski (Lyric Hammersmith); The Hound of the Baskervilles (Duchess Theatre, national tour and productions all round world).
Steven was Associate Director at Complicite for five years where he made theatre across the world and then worked with Al Pacino on The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui.
Television producing includes: Two Doors Down, Still Game, Mammoth, Mrs Brown's Boys, Jonathan Creek, Porridge, Bob Servant, The Tuckers, A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, Kieran Hodgson's How We Forgot to Save the Planet.
Steven also produced and directed drama and comedy for radio and adapted a number of pieces for radio including A Shropshire Lad with Simon Russell Beale, which then played at the National Theatre, and Complicite's Mnemonic for R3.
His recent shows have won BAFTA, National Television Award, Scottish BAFTA, IFTA, RTS Scotland, TV Times Award, Celtic Media & Sony Golds.
Author photo by Graeme Hunter
John Nicholson is a writer, director and performer. He is Co-Artistic Director of Peepolykus, with whom he has toured throughout the UK and worldwide since 1995.
As a writer, his work includes: King Arthur (Le Navet Bete, 2024); The Time Machine, co-written with Steven Canny (Original Theatre, 2023); Treasure Island (Le Navet Bete, 2019); Dracula: The Bloody Truth (Le Navet Bete, 2017); The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary, co-written with Javier Marzan for Peepolykus (Liverpool Everyman, 2016); and The Hound of the Baskervilles, co-written with Steven Canny for Peepolykus (West Yorkshire Playhouse, 2007).
He has also written extensively for BBC Radio, including Richard's Rampage, and the four-part series Trespasser's Guide to the Classics (2015).
As an actor, he has numerous television credits, particularly across the BBC and ITV.