Closed 8th February 2014

Acerbic wit and clashing personalities are the centre point of Jez Butterworth's debut Mojo, revived in winter 2013/14 with original director Ian Rickman. Since Mojo, Butterworth has gone on to be one of the foremost voices in modern playwriting, finding international success with follow ups Jerusalem and The River.

Mojo, written when he was just 25, displays a uniquely talented grasp of language and dexterity of storytelling in a fast-paced and high energy play that was described, when first seen in 1995 as 'The lethally funny weapon with which Butterworth held up the theatre world as a young man.' and continues seem fresh and relevant with each subsequent revisit.

This cast included a variety of swaggering talent at the top of their game, with Ben Whishaw (James Bond's new 'Q'), Rupert Grint (Harry Potter), Brendan Coyle (Downton Abbey) and Colin Morgan (Merlin) as the denizens of a seedy 1950's nightclub in the burgeoning rock and roll scene of London's Soho. Together, they expertly navigated the pitfalls organised crime bosses and their power play. Brash and amphetamine fuelled, the subsequent show was a bubbling hit, receiving glowing reviews across the board.

The Atlantic nightclub, 1958

Two low status spivs, Sweets and Potts (Grint, Daniel Mays) sit outside a meeting of their boss Ezra and rival nightclub owner who wants to buy Silver Johnny, the club's new find, a teen idol who drives the girls wild. Unseen, their conversation takes a fatal turn, and Sweets and Potts are left unsure of what to do next. Luckily, they are distracted by the other employees, the quietly menacing Mickey (Coyle), the spoiled and sharp owner's son Baby (Whishaw) and Skinny (Morgan), the lowly attendant who idolizes him with from afar.

When it turns out that Ezra has met his maker and been stored in two halves in the club's dustbins, it's up to these rag tag outcasts to take the next steps. The gangsters are coming. Should they seek vengeance and will they survive? Mojo paints a wickedly funny, but chilling picture as they sink into despair. None more so than Baby, now fatherless, his mean streak turning into full blown psychopathy...