Cock at Shakespeare North Playhouse
Kristy Stott, Theatre EditorBook now
Cock
Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
Expect sharp dialogue, dark humour and big questions about identity when Mike Bartlett’s provocative play Cock comes to Shakespeare North Playhouse this July. Following the huge success of its Northern premiere in 2024, the show returns as part of a wider 2025 tour – and we couldn’t be more pleased.
Billed as a “razor-sharp play about love and identity”, this stripped-back drama centres on John – a man happily settled with his long-term boyfriend until he unexpectedly falls for a woman. What follows is a tense, witty and emotionally charged exploration of love, loyalty and the limits of labels.
With no set, no props and nowhere to hide, Cock places its focus on the performers and Bartlett’s incisive script. As John wrestles with conflicting desires and the pressure to define himself, the play becomes a gripping tug-of-war between authenticity and expectation, choice and indecision.
Redefining the battle of the sexes for a more fluid age, Cock is a modern classic that remains as urgent and unsettling as ever. Whether you’re drawn in by the contemporary themes or the bold theatrical form, this is one to see—and talk about afterwards.
